While at Bluffton Theodore (Ted) W. Cunningham ’30 of Rocky River, Ohio, earned letters in football, basketball, tennis and baseball.
Cunningham was captain of the 1929 football team and was selected for the all-league team in 1927, ‘28 and ‘29. At a time, he held records for the longest punt return for a touchdown (90 yards against Findlay in 1928) and the most passes intercepted in one game (five against Cedarville in 1926).
Cunningham was also selected for the all-league basketball team (1927, ‘28) and served as captain of the tennis team (1928, ‘30) for which he was league tennis singles champion (1927, 28, ‘30). He was president of Varsity B in 1929 and 1930.
After receiving his degree in biology, Cunningham turned to teaching and coaching in the Ohio public schools from which he retired in 1971 after 41 years.
After teaching in the Painesville junior high and high schools, where he coached basketball and football, Cunningham spent 24 years as a biology teacher and later assistant principal at Lakewood High School. He served as biology department chairman from 1943 to 1960. While at Lakewood, he was awarded the Outstanding Science Teacher Award for Northeastern Ohio (1960), was selected a Fellow of the Ohio Academy of Science (1961) and was listed in “Leaders in Science” (1963). He also coached varsity baseball for two years, guiding his team to a co-championship of the Greater Cleveland Leagues (1938), and junior high football for 23 years for a total record of 106 wins, 40 losses, and 13 ties.
Of his days at Bluffton, Cunningham said, “when I came to Bluffton College it nurtured and strengthened my beliefs, which have been the strength and wisdom of my life."
