San Francisco quarterback Steve Young says he is glad the NFC playoff game between the 49ers and Minnesota Vikings is Saturday because “more Mormons can come.”
The great-great-great-grandson of Brigham Young figures he might need all the divine help he can get playing against Randall Cunningham, who believes he is on a direct mission from God.
Cunningham answers few questions these days without mentioning his relationship with the Almighty.
“I’m in constant prayer that God does use me in a way we can go and win the Super Bowl,” Cunningham said.
Anyone who saw lightning strike the New York Giants last Saturday in the form of 10 Vikings points in the final 90 seconds must listen to Cunningham’s conviction.
“I truly believe we had so much hope and so much faith and so much prayer going on that we were going to win that game,” Cunningham said.
Whether the Vikings outprayed or just outplayed the Giants, they do have Cunningham to thank for his return from retirement. And Cunningham credits a higher calling than the one he got from coach Dennis Green and the Vikings last spring.
“I never thought I’d play football again,” Cunningham said. “I was burned out mentally . . . but God changes your plans.”
Cunningham left the Philadelphia Eagles after playing the last three quarters of a January 1996 playoff loss against Dallas when starter Rodney Peete got hurt. Cunningham had spent the week with his wife at home in Las Vegas awaiting the birth of Randall II and was unprepared for the game. So his uneasy relationship with Eagles coach Ray Rhodes and Philadelphia’s volatile fans was damaged beyond repair.
Cunningham is 34, but his arm obviously still has life. Mike Ditka wanted him to start for the New Orleans Saints, but Cunningham said he “didn’t feel comfortable the way the contract was offered.”
Green wanted a backup for Brad Johnson with enough experience to give him a chance to win. For a measly $425,000 salary, nobody fit the description better than Cunningham.
After Johnson suffered a neck injury, Cunningham started his first game against the 49ers Dec. 7 and threw two touchdown passes to Cris Carter. But the 49ers had jumped ahead 14-0 and won 28-17.
“I felt confident going into that game we could win. Now there’s still the same confidence,” Cunningham said. “We’re always the team who is the underdog. There’s no pressure on us. We just have to play and enjoy ourselves and take the game at hand.”
Cunningham is the all-time leading rusher among NFL quarterbacks, and his legs have yet to fail him. By the end of the Giants game, he was running around and throwing balls to Carter and Jake Reed in ways that had to make the 49ers at least take notice.
Cunningham and Carter look like they have renewed a partnership that flourished from 1987-89 in Philadelphia.
“Cris Carter has matured as a man in Christ and matured as a player,” Cunningham said. “He really impacted me and showed me when it’s time to count on him I know I can count on him without a doubt.”
If it’s going to take a miracle for the Vikings to pull this off, Cunningham already believes in them.
“So many people asked when I was coming back I prayed to God and said, `God, if it’s your will for me to be back in football, give me a sign. Have a few teams call me up.’ Within a couple of days, teams were calling me up and I decided, `Hey, that’s God’s will. I’m going back and do it.’ But I said, `This time, I’m going back with my goal to play for God and to win for God.’ “
If the 49ers fall, it will be because their number is up. Cunningham literally wears his faith on his jersey, No. 7.
“I just decided the old No. 12 was done,” he said. “Someone explained to me that God created the world in six days and on the seventh day he had completed it. So No. 7 is a complete number and I get to come back and complete what I started.”
