Cunningham, Don, 1921-2000

Don A. Cunningham was born on October 16, 1921 in Lima, Ohio, son of Charles M. and Billie Lewis Cunningham. A 1939 graduate of Lima South High School, Don Cunningham came to Bowling Green in the fall of 1939.

He graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1943, where he maintained a close and continuing relationship with the University, serving as the first sports information director starting in 1946, coaching golf for seven years, and as assistant athletic director starting in 1976 and business manager from 1965-1979, receiving due recognition from BGSU in 1992 when the press-box at Doyt Perry Stadium was named in his honor.

Cunningham was instrumental in founding the MAC Service Bureau. He served as the part-time Director of News and Information for the MAC from 1957-1964, and produced the first MAC football and basketball press guides and supervised the press previews in those sports in the early days of the fledgling conference. He has a lifetime membership in the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), and is a member of the CoSida Hall of Fame.

Don Cunningham was inducted into the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.

Married to Harriet L. McKnight on September 25, 1943, they raised a family of a son and two daughters. He continued to be an active member of the community, until his death on June 8, 2000 and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.