Wilbur M. Cunningham
Wilbur Morrill Cunningham (February 4, 1886 – January 14, 1974) was an American college football player and coach, lawyer, historian, and author. He was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan. His father, George Cunningham, was an insurance agent.
Cunningham attended the University of Michigan, studied law, and played football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1907 to 1910 under coach Fielding H. Yost. He graduated from the law school in 1912. In the fall of 1912, he was the head coach of the Kentucky University football team.
After finishing his education, Cunningham opened a law practice in Benton Harbor. When World War I began, he joined the U.S. Navy and served as a lieutenant in the paymaster’s department aboard the USS Massachusetts. He was discharged in 1919 and returned to Benton Harbor to resume his law practice.
He served two terms as prosecuting attorney for Berrien County (1929–1933) and then spent 23 years (1933–1956) as the city attorney of Benton Harbor. Cunningham was also a noted historian and archeologist who studied Native American artifacts. In 1961, he published Land of Four Flags: An Early History of the St. Joseph Valley.
Cunningham died in 1974 at age 87 and was buried in Crystal Springs Cemetery in Benton Harbor.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:21 (CET).