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Who are Vashti Cunningham's parents? US high-jumper is daughter of NFL icon and ex-ballerina

Vashti Cunningham's father is NFL legend Randall Cunningham while her uncle Sam Cunningham is a retired NFL fullback
UPDATED AUG 7, 2021
Vashti Cunningham with her father Randall Cunningham and with her mother Felicity de Jager (Instagram/Vashti Cunningham, Twitter)
Vashti Cunningham with her father Randall Cunningham and with her mother Felicity de Jager (Instagram/Vashti Cunningham, Twitter)

US athlete Vashti Cunningham, all of 23 years, is eyeing a stunning victory at the women's high jump finals at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Hailed as one of the best track-and-field athletes in high jump, Vashti is a top contender for the gold medal. In fact, an Olympic medal might be exactly what she needs to match her family's incredible legacy in sports. Little known to many, Vashti Cunningham is the daughter of former NFL legend Randall Cunningham, who also happens to be her coach at present. 

Vashti's uncle Sam Cunningham is a retired NFL fullback who played for New England Patriots. Her brother Randall Cunningham II is a collegiate high-jumper and former football quarterback. Meanwhile, her mother Felicity De Jager is an acclaimed ballerina who was formerly with the Dance Theater of Harlem. Needless to say, the young athlete is genetically gifted with brilliance and talent and is already making her family proud. She is minutes away from an Olympic gold, but she already has a gold from 2016 World Indoor Championships and another from 2015 Pan American Junior Championships. 

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Who are Vashti Cunningham's parents? 

Vashti's father Randall Cunningham, now 58, was a quarterback and punter in NFL for 16 seasons. He played mainly with the Philadelphia Eagles for over a decade, while he also had brief stints with Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. Cunningham was selected in the 1985 NFL draft and soon reached the peak of success. He had been a three-time recipient of the Bert Bell Award and two-time winner of the KCC NFC Offensive Player of the Year. He notably also won the Pro Bowl for four seasons. Randall Cunningham's name adorns the walls of Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame.

After retirement, he was hired by Silverado High School in Nevada as a coach for the varsity and junior varsity football teams. However, when her daughter Vashti started growing passionate about high jump, Randall Cunningham reportedly learned the A to Z of the sports so he could coach his daughter himself. With Vashti's selection to the Olympics high-jump finals and the possibility of a medal win, perhaps no one is prouder than her coach/dad. 



 

Randall Cunningham dated singer Whitney Houston for two years, before meeting the love of his life Felicity De Jager. She used to be a star ballerina in her youth and captured the heart of the NFL star. The two of them got married on December 8, 1992, and have been together for over 28 years. They are proud parents to Vashti Cunningham and Randall Cunningham Jr. In June 2010, tragedy struck the family as they lost their two-year-old son Christian who accidentally drowned in a hot tub. However, the couple overcame their grief and are doting parents to their other two children.

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