Cunningham was born in 1946 in war-torn Munich, Germany to an American serviceman and a German mother before moving to the United States at age ten.

[1] He attended the University of Oregon, where he played linebacker and placekicker before embarking on a coaching career that spanned almost fifty years.

In 1995, Cunningham was hired by the Chiefs as the defensive coordinator after spending the previous four seasons as a coach with the Los Angeles Raiders.

Under his lead, a number of players excelled, including stars such as Neil Smith, James Hasty, Dale Carter, and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas.

The move was controversial at the time as Cunningham claimed he was never informed by management that he was to be fired and only found out about it after discovering the article regarding his termination on the Chiefs website after he showed up to work one morning.