BOBCATS 125: Jason Cunningham
5/18/2022 2:00:00 PM | Football
Montana State's most productive kicker enjoyed some amazing moments
Leading to the 2022 season, the 125th anniversary of Montana State's first football season, we will look at 125 of the greatest Bobcats. You can find details here and a directory here.
Jason Cunningham, K, 2008-11
ALL-TIME TEAM: None
HONORS: 1st Team All-America and All-Big Sky in 2010, 2nd Team All-Big Sky in 2011
A CLOSER LOOK: Both for what he accomplished in the context of his times at Montana State and what he achieved in the years since, Jan Stenerud will likely always be considered the school's greatest kickers and one of its best players ever. Drill down a little further and you find another kicker that accomplished amazing things in the Blue and Gold. Jason Cunningham applied his right instep to footballs for Montana State from 2008 through 2011, a period of time that exactly coincided with the program's ascent to the top of the Big Sky. Cunningham logged the top two seasons ever by a Bobcat in field goals (22 in 2011, 20 in 2010, his five field goals in a remarkable win at Eastern Washington in 2011 is a school record (and netted him National Player of the Week honors), he became the first Bobcat ever to hit two field goals of at least 50 yards in one game, and he holds the school record for most field goals of 50 or more yards and 40 or more yards in a career. His 14 consecutive field goals in 2010 also remain a Bobcat record. No other Bobcat is within 10 of his 69 made field goals or 90 attempts, and for the high volume of work he did he remained incredibly efficient. His career field goal percentage of .750 is third all-time at MSU, and he has two of the five best season field goal percentage marks in program history. For all of his individual achievements, his effort at EWU in 2011 stands out. He kicked a 55 yard field goal as time expired in the first half to extend MSU's lead to 20-14, then nailed tries of 31 and 32 yards in the third quarter to make that lead a two-score margin. After Eastern scored at the outset of the fourth quarter Cunningham helped season Montana State's win, which was the first ever by a visiting team on the Eagles' red turf. First he converted a PAT after DeNarius McGhee hit Elvis Akpla for a touchdown, then he hit a 43-yarder in the game's final three minutes to close out the 36-21 win. Jason Cunningham's 359 points scored remains the most in Bobcat history and he remains, even as technology and technique continue to evolve in ways that benefit kickers, the most productive kicker in Bobcat history.
FROM 2010 BOBCAT TEAM CAPTAIN MIKEY RIDER: "Jason was clutch! He had a certain swagger about him that doesn't always come with kickers and their personality, generally speaking. He was Texas cool, sharp dressed, polite with enough brashness, clutch with a big leg and a great teammate. He always loved to kick the squib balls at me on the front line and I'll never forget it. (laughter)"
Jason Cunningham, K, 2008-11
ALL-TIME TEAM: None
HONORS: 1st Team All-America and All-Big Sky in 2010, 2nd Team All-Big Sky in 2011
A CLOSER LOOK: Both for what he accomplished in the context of his times at Montana State and what he achieved in the years since, Jan Stenerud will likely always be considered the school's greatest kickers and one of its best players ever. Drill down a little further and you find another kicker that accomplished amazing things in the Blue and Gold. Jason Cunningham applied his right instep to footballs for Montana State from 2008 through 2011, a period of time that exactly coincided with the program's ascent to the top of the Big Sky. Cunningham logged the top two seasons ever by a Bobcat in field goals (22 in 2011, 20 in 2010, his five field goals in a remarkable win at Eastern Washington in 2011 is a school record (and netted him National Player of the Week honors), he became the first Bobcat ever to hit two field goals of at least 50 yards in one game, and he holds the school record for most field goals of 50 or more yards and 40 or more yards in a career. His 14 consecutive field goals in 2010 also remain a Bobcat record. No other Bobcat is within 10 of his 69 made field goals or 90 attempts, and for the high volume of work he did he remained incredibly efficient. His career field goal percentage of .750 is third all-time at MSU, and he has two of the five best season field goal percentage marks in program history. For all of his individual achievements, his effort at EWU in 2011 stands out. He kicked a 55 yard field goal as time expired in the first half to extend MSU's lead to 20-14, then nailed tries of 31 and 32 yards in the third quarter to make that lead a two-score margin. After Eastern scored at the outset of the fourth quarter Cunningham helped season Montana State's win, which was the first ever by a visiting team on the Eagles' red turf. First he converted a PAT after DeNarius McGhee hit Elvis Akpla for a touchdown, then he hit a 43-yarder in the game's final three minutes to close out the 36-21 win. Jason Cunningham's 359 points scored remains the most in Bobcat history and he remains, even as technology and technique continue to evolve in ways that benefit kickers, the most productive kicker in Bobcat history.
FROM 2010 BOBCAT TEAM CAPTAIN MIKEY RIDER: "Jason was clutch! He had a certain swagger about him that doesn't always come with kickers and their personality, generally speaking. He was Texas cool, sharp dressed, polite with enough brashness, clutch with a big leg and a great teammate. He always loved to kick the squib balls at me on the front line and I'll never forget it. (laughter)"
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