The Chargers on Sunday confirmed they have interviewed Ian Cunningham for their general manager position.
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Here are five things to know about Cunningham:
1. Currently in Chicago
Cunningham recently finished up his second season as the assistant general manager with the Bears.
He has worked extensively with Bears General Manager Ryan Poles throughout his time there and continues to be a major contributor to Chicago's front office.
2. Time in Philly
Cunningham joined the Bears after a long tenure in Philadelphia.
His time as a scout led him to the Eagles as the Director of College Scouting in 2017, where the team won Super Bowl LII in his first season.
After two seasons in the role, he moved up to Assistant Director of Player Personnel in 2019 before taking on the mantle of Director of Player Personnel in Philadelphia.
3. His NFL start
After his brief playing career was over, Cunningham quickly switched to trying to find a personnel role in football. He reached out to his college coach, Al Groh, who spent time coaching in the NFL.
Groh put Cunningham in contact with then-Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome, who would eventually hire him as a personnel assistant.
He would serve in that role until 2012, where he served as an area scout and was on the staff when the Ravens would go on to win the Super Bowl.
4. Playing career
As previously mentioned, Cunningham was a football player himself — and a good one in the state of Texas.
He won All-State and All-Area honors as an offensive lineman and participated in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Game.
Cunningham would go on to play college football at Virginia and played five games as a true freshman. He would finish his career with the Cavaliers starting as a guard for his final two seasons and starting 31 games overall.
He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chiefs following his college career but did not make the final roster prior to the season.
5. Shaped by sports
Cunningham grew up shaped and around sports from an early age.
His father, Louis, worked as a sports agent whose firm represented a variety of NBA stars at the time like Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Dominique Wilkins. He would eventually become the vice president of marketing for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and later the athletic director at Alabama A&M.
He is also the second cousin of legendary tennis player Arthur Ashe, who grew up close with his father.
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