Willie Cunningham (footballer, born 1925)

{{short description|Scottish footballer}}

{{other people||Willie Cunningham (disambiguation){{!}}Willie Cunningham}}

{{Use British English|date=May 2011}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Willie Cunningham

| image =

| fullname = William Carruthers Cunningham{{Hugman|4513|access-date=23 February 2017}}

| birth_date = {{birth date|1925|2|22|df=y}}

| birth_place = Hill of Beath, Fife, Scotland

| death_date = {{death date and age|2000|11|27|1925|2|22|df=y}}

| death_place = Preston, Lancashire, England

| height =

| position = Right back

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 =

| clubs1 = Crossgates Primrose

| years2 = 1946

| years3 = 1946–1949

| years4 = 1949–1963

| years5= 1963–1965

| clubs2 = Dunfermline Athletic

| clubs3= Airdrieonians

| clubs4 = Preston North End

| clubs5 = Southport

| caps2 = 3

| caps3 = 93

| caps4 = 437

| caps5 = 12

| goals2 = 0

| goals3 = 9

| goals4 = 3

| goals5 = 0

| totalcaps = 545

| totalgoals = 12

| nationalyears1 = 1952

| nationalteam1 = Scotland B

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 1954–1955

| nationalteam2 = Scotland

| nationalcaps2 = 8

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1964–1965

| managerclubs1 = Southport

}}

William Carruthers Cunningham (22 February 1925 – 27 November 2000) was a Scottish footballer who played in both Scotland and England.

Born in Hill of Beath, Fife, Cunningham began his career as a centre half with Dunfermline Athletic, combining part-time football with a mining job in the local colliery. He moved to Airdrieonians along with Willie Kelly[https://www.centralfifetimes.com/sport/16585122.kellys-made-mark-south/ Kellys made their mark down south], Jim Stark, Central Fife Times, 19 August 2018 and scored 9 goals in 93 appearances for the Diamonds before a £5,000 fee took him south to Preston North End on 28 June 1949.

Cunningham had by this stage converted to playing as a full-back and made his North End debut against Grimsby Town at Deepdale on 24 August 1949. 12 years later he made his four hundredth league appearance in a goalless draw against Bolton Wanderers on 18 April 1961, the last of the 1953–54 Cup Final team still playing for the club.

Cunningham was capped eight times for his native Scotland – including captaining the side during the 1954 World Cup finals. On leaving Preston in 1963 he had a brief spell as player/manager at Southport before returning to Deepdale as Reserve Team trainer.