Sophie Cunningham has been in the news recently for her enforcer role in backing up Indiana Fever teammate Caitlin Clark.
The now-viral clips of Cunningham taking down Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon showed a tough side of Cunningham that made many sit up and notice.
But the WNBA star has always been a boss.
Cunningham starred at
Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.), helping the Bruins to four straight Missouri basketball titles before averaging 17 points per game in 129 starts at the University of Missouri. She was taken 13th overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury.
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has made news for being an enforcer, but the former Rock Bridge standout has always been tough. She was a black belt at age 6 and even played football for the Bruins during her senior year. (FILE PHOTO: James Conrad)
Growing up, Cunningham was a taekwondo black belt at the age of six. She even strapped on the pads and football helmet during her senior year at Rock Bridge.
Cunningham booted a 45-yarder during a halftime contest and was pressed into service a few weeks later after the team's kicker suffered an injury, according to a story in the
Columbia Missourian.
"I was so nervous," Cunningham said at the time, becoming the first female to score on the gridiron in school history. "I mean, I've never played football
before in all my life. Right when I got the ball (on the opening
kickoff), I couldn't hear anything. I just put the ball down and kicked
it."
