JIM CUNNINGHAM (RIP)

All who knew Jim Cunningham had a sense of connection and admiration.  You might have known Jim in the early years at Our Lady of Lord’s parish in Omaha or his days as a lifeguard at Hansen Park. Maybe your acquaintance was made after he moved to Lincoln while bartending at the Zoo Bar, laying brick or working on the track at Burlington Northern Railroad. Maybe you were a classmate at the University of Nebraska or an environmental co-worker at the railroad that took him to Minneapolis, Kansas City and back to Lincoln. 

Ultimately, many of his longest and closest friendships began on the pitch. First as a founding member of both the UNL Rugby Club and then the GOATS before moving on to various touring teams and traveling the world as a Golden Bastard. Jim’s network was truly global, he took his friendships to heart. If you met Jim, you remembered him. However, you knew Jim, we can all agree that he was one of the finest persons we knew. Jim had an amazing spirit. He never had a bad day he was full of gratitude. Jim was so happy when he married Ardy a wonderful, caring, beautiful, kind-hearted, and loving woman, with whom they raised two children, Elizabeth and Sean.

His teammates began an endowed scholarship in his honor and presented it to Zach Theis as the inaugural recipient during the 2022 season. You can support this ongoing scholarship by donating via the following link https://nufoundation.org/fund/01057070/