John "JC" Cunningham began his USD career in 1962 when he was hired by former Athletic Director Phil Woolpert to be the freshmen basketball coach, assistant varsity basketball coach, and director of intramurals. He assisted baseball coach Mike Morrow in 1963 and took over the program in 1964.

During the next 35 years he directed the Toreros baseball team to 843 victories, 16 winning seasons, and four NCAA regional appearances, including trips to the College World Series in 1971 and 1978. He was named the WCC Coach of the Year twice (1993 & 1998). Forty-seven of his players signed professional contracts with ten advancing to the Major Leagues. In 1988 school officials honored him by renaming the baseball field "Cunningham Baseball Stadium".

In 1991 his peers voted him into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 2003 he was inducted into USD's Chet and Marguerite Pagni Family Athletic Hall of Fame and in 2005 received the prestigious ABCA's Lefty Gomez Award, amateur baseball's top award for service to the sport of baseball. In 2013 with the grand opening of Fowler Park and Cunningham Field, USD retired JC's uniform number (#33). In 2017 he was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor.

Cunningham played baseball and basketball at the University of San Francisco where in 1959 he was named USF's "Athlete of the Year" and was an honorable mention selection on the Catholic All-America basketball team. The highlight of his basketball career, however, came in 1960 while serving in the U.S. Army. After being named to the All-Army and All-Service basketball teams, Cunningham was a participant in the U.S. Olympic Basketball Team tryouts. He would go on to sign a professional baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles organization. From 1965-78 Cunningham organized, managed and coached a franchise in the California Collegiate Baseball League Ð one of the best summer collegiate leagues in the country at the time. During those years he won over 300 games and eight league titles.