When John Cunningham, ’05, walked the halls of the University of Nebraska College of Law, few would have predicted he would go on to lead during one of the most transformative periods in modern college athletics. But for Cunningham, a Lincoln native, his path to becoming the athletic director at the University of Cincinnati was fueled by a lifelong passion for college sports and shaped by his legal education in his home state.
“Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska athletics was part of my DNA,” Cunningham said. “My sports heroes were Huskers. When you don’t have professional teams, college sports become part of who you are.”
That early love for sports set Cunningham on a path that ultimately brought him to the University of Cincinnati, where since 2019 he has guided the Bearcats through a historic period of growth and achievement. Under his leadership, Cincinnati athletics transitioned into the Big 12 Conference, launched the $100 million “Day One Ready” campaign, broke ground on a $135 million Indoor Practice Facility and Performance Center, and saw Bearcats football become the first Group of Five team to reach the College Football Playoff.
But for Cunningham, the role of athletic director goes beyond fundraising and facilities. It’s about leadership, stewardship, and yes, a fair amount of legal expertise.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better educational fit for what I do,” Cunningham said of his Nebraska Law degree. “It gave me the ability to see multiple sides of a problem think through issues carefully. That’s been vital, especially now, when college athletics is undergoing transformational change.”
Cunningham’s career trajectory is a testament to that adaptability. After earning his undergraduate degree from TCU, he returned to Nebraska for law school. It was a natural fit, he said, given the school’s reputation and his family’s ties – his father, James Cunningham, ’75, also earned his law degree at Nebraska. After completing law school, Cunningham started in NCAA compliance at the University of Maryland and later held leadership positions at TCU, Boise State, Syracuse and Minnesota. Each stop built upon the last, preparing him for the top job in Cincinnati.
His time at Nebraska Law helped lay the foundation for that ascent.
“You’re learning to think in a different way,” he said. “The exposure to brilliant professors and classmates was incredibly formative. It taught me how to handle complex, layered problems, and how to lead with a sense of humility and purpose.”
Cunningham credits Nebraska with instilling in him a “low ego, high output” mentality, something he now tries to embody in his leadership. It’s also a value he sees reflected in many fellow Nebraska Law grads. “There’s a work ethic and humility that’s part of the Nebraska mindset. That’s been important to my career.”
That mindset proved essential when Cunningham stepped into the Cincinnati role just months before the COVID-19 pandemic. He quickly established the Next Level Success Fund to support student-athletes during the crisis and laid the groundwork for bold, future-facing initiatives like launching IMPACT, the Bearcats’ award-winning NIL development program.
Cunningham’s legal background has played an increasingly central role as the industry navigates antitrust lawsuits, revenue-sharing models, and ever-evolving NIL regulations. He recently served on the NCAA’s implementation committee for the House settlement, one of the most significant legal shifts in college sports in decades.
“I think my background in compliance and administrative law really helped me contribute meaningfully on that committee,” he said. “Having a law degree allows you to not just understand the rules, but to help shape how we implement them going forward.”
Even amid the high stakes of his current role, Cunningham remains grounded in his Nebraska roots. While he doesn’t make it back to Lincoln as often as he’d like, he carries his Cornhusker upbringing with him each day.
“I just want to be the best athletic director I can be,” he said. “And the best dad I can be. That’s my dual focus. But I owe a lot to Nebraska. It’s where I learned to lead.”
