Keiron Cunningham
 |
| Cunningham playing for St Helens in 2010 |
| Personal information |
| Nickname |
The General, The King, World’s Best[1] |
| Born |
October 28, 1976 (1976-10-28) (age 35)
St Helens, Merseyside, England |
| Playing information |
| Height |
5 ft 9 in (1.76 m) |
| Weight |
16 st 12 lb (107 kg) |
| Position |
Hooker |
| Club |
| Years |
Team |
Pld |
T |
G |
FG |
P |
| 1993–10 |
St. Helens |
419 |
163 |
100 |
0 |
624 |
| Representative |
| Years |
Team |
Pld |
T |
G |
FG |
P |
| 1995–00 |
Wales |
9 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
| 1996–06 |
Great Britain |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Source: Rugby League Project |
Keiron Cunningham (born October 28, 1976 in St Helens, Merseyside) is a former British professional rugby league footballer. A Great Britain and Wales international representative hooker, he played his entire club rugby career at St. Helens, with whom he won numerous trophies.
[edit] Biography
Keiron Cunningham warming up for St. Helens
The youngest of ten siblings, Keiron Cunningham was born five months after his brother, Edward "Eddie" Cunningham,[2] had won a Rugby League Challenge Cup winner's medal for St Helens against Widnes. Another of Keiron Cunningham's brothers, Thomas "Tommy" Cunningham, also played for St Helens.
Cunningham made his debut in the 1993-94 Rugby Football League season and soon established himself as a world class hooker, renowned for his dynamic running from dummy-half and ability to poach tries from short distances. He represented both Great Britain and Wales in international matches, qualifying for Wales because of a Welsh grandfather. At the end of Super League I, Cunningham was named at hooker in the 1996 Super League Dream Team. In 1999 he was the only British player voted into the World XIII.[3]
Over the course of his career, Cunningham rejected offers from the Welsh Rugby Union, England Rugby Union and from various Australian rugby league clubs, instead choosing to remain with his hometown team. In 2006 Cunningham was named as captain of St Helens following the persistent injuries and subsequent retirement of Paul Sculthorpe.
In 2010, having made over 400 appearances for St Helens, Cunningham announced that he would be retiring from rugby league following the culmination of Super League XV.[4] 2010 also marked the final year at St Helens Knowsley Road before moving to a new stadium it was, in fact, Kieron Cunningham who scored the final try ever at the prestigious ground in his penultimate match. However, despite a memorable 2010 play offs for Cunningham, there was to be no fairytale ending as his last ever game ended in defeat against arch rivals Wigan Warriors in the 2010 Super League Grand Final. Following his retirement, Cunningham took up an assistant coaching role in the strength and conditioning department at St Helens.
During his career he won 5 Super League Championships, 7 Challenge Cup Winners Medals and 2 World Club Challenge Winners Medals, was named in the Super League Dream Team on 6 occasions,[5] and in July 2007 Rugby League World magazine ranked him as the greatest player of the Super League era. Following a supporters' poll featuring the likes of Tom van Vollenhoven and Alex Murphy, Cunningham was chosen to be cast as a statue outside the new St Helens stadium when it is built.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Cunningham, Kieron |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
October 28, 1976 |
| Place of birth |
St Helens, Merseyside |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
