5 things to know about new Falcons GM Ian Cunningham
Ian Cunningham, a former metro Atlanta resident, was named the general manager of the Falcons on Thursday night.
Cunningham, 40, has worked in the NFL with the Ravens, Eagles and Bears before landing the job with the Falcons.
Here are five things to know about Cunningham:
1. Lived in Roswell: Cunningham spent part of his youth living in Roswell in the 1990s. He was a fan of the Falcons and Braves during the city’s Summer Olympics era. Cunningham attended Tritt Elementary School in Marietta. He was a Boy Scout who liked playing basketball and games on Sega Genesis.
2. Moved to suburban Dallas: Shortly after the 1996 Summer Olympics, the family moved to Carrollton, Texas. He played football at Hebron High and was selected to play in the High School All-American game. He went on to Virginia and started five games as a freshman.
3. Played at Virginia: He played along the offensive line at Virginia for coach Al Groh. He signed as an undrafted offensive lineman with the Chiefs in 2008, where his locker was next to Tony Gonzalez’s. He was waived before the start of the season and that was the end of the road, after starting 31 games at Virginia, where he was an honorable-mention freshman All-America.
4. Family ties: Cunningham’s father, Louis, and his father’s first cousin, tennis legend Arthur Ashe, were influential in his life.
Louis Cunningham worked as a sport agents with the firm ProServ that represented NBA stars Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Dominique Wilkins before serving as the vice president of marketing for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the athletic director at Alabama A&M.
Ian Cunningham and his wife, Justine, have three children — Elliot, Rooney and Niall.
5. Professional ties: After his brief stint with the Chiefs, Cunningham reached out to Groh, who put him in touch with three people, including Ozzie Newsome, who is the Ravens’ executive vice president of player personnel. He met Cunningham and hired him as his 23-year-old personal assistant. Cunningham would go on to work with the Ravens, Eagles and Bears. Newsome, one of the NFL’s top talent evaluators, was instrumental in Cunningham’s growth.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
