John Cunningham has proven to be the perfect fit for the Bearcats, packing win after win into his time on Clifton Heights since taking the helm at the University of Cincinnati in December 2019. In his first few months on campus, Cunningham led the Bearcats' response to the COVID-19 pandemic and created the Next Level Success Fund to provide the necessary resources to achieve competitive success and crucial support for UC's student-athletes. In 2021, Cunningham spearheaded Cincinnati’s charge to obtain an invitation to join the Big 12 and launched the $100 million Day One Ready Campaign initiative. The Day One Ready Campaign will raise money in the areas of student-athlete wellness, signature facilities and operational resources to compete for championships in its new conference, which Cincinnati will join July 1, 2023. The construction of a new indoor practice and performance facility, with architects Gensler and MSA Sport on board, on campus will serve as the anchor project of the campaign. Cunningham restructured his leadership team to provide a new focus on internal and external operations and tapped Wes Miller to lead the men's basketball program. The Bearcats’ football program found unprecedented success in 2021, winning a school-record 13 games and a second consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship en route to becoming the first non-“Power Five” team to take part in the College Football Playoff. Cunningham has focused attention and resources on student-athlete-centric initiatives such as hiring the department’s first ever Directors of Sports Psychology and Sports Nutrition, while prioritizing student-athlete mental health and wellness and revamping the athletics department One Team DEI Committee. In the spring of 2021, Bearcats student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.369, marking the ninth-straight semester with a collective GPA of 3.3 or higher. Six student-athletes collected Academic All-America accolades for the 2021-22 school year, as well. Before joining the Bearcats, Cunningham oversaw the external operations at three NCAA Division I institutions, Boise State, Syracuse and Minnesota and served as a sport administrator for bowl teams, conference-championship teams and NCAA Tournament teams. Cunningham started his career in collegiate athletics as the compliance coordinator at the University of Maryland. A 2001 TCU graduate, Cunningham received a law degree from the University of Nebraska’s College of Law in 2005. He and his wife, Caitlin, have twin sons, Gus and Hank.