Former Chiefs head coach and longtime NFL assistant coach Gunther Cunningham has died.
Cunningham died on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 72 years old and is survived by his wife, children and grandson among other family members and loved ones.
Cunningham was born in Germany and grew up in California before going to the University of Oregon to play football. He moved into coaching at the school in 1969 and took his first NFL job with the Colts in 1982. He worked for the Chargers and Raiders before becoming the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator in 1995.
He would stay in that job for four years before succeeding Marty Schottenheimer as the head coach for the 1999 season. Cunningham went 16-16 over two years before being fired.
Cunningham would return to Kansas City as the defensive coordinator from 2004-2008 and had the same job with the Lions from 2009-2013. He last coached as a senior assistant in Detroit from 2014-2016.
Our condolences to Cunningham’s family and loved ones on their loss.
