Peter Cunningham was officially named head coach of the John Brown University cross country and track and field programs in 2024, promoted after five seasons on staff, the final stretch of which saw him lead the middle-distance runners and take on expanded culture-development responsibilities.
Cunningham is the third head coach of the John Brown cross country program since its 2010 revival and the second head coach of the track and field program since it debuted in 2019.
In his first season leading the track and field program, Cunningham guided the JBU women's team to a program-first outdoor Sooner Athletic Conference championship and was named the conference's Women's Track and Field Coach of the Year. He added a second conference honor the following season, earning SAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2025.
The women's outdoor track title stands as the signature moment of Cunningham's tenure to date. In just the program's fifth season of existence, the Golden Eagles rallied from third place after the opening day to edge Oklahoma City by a single point, 109-108, capturing the first outdoor SAC championship in program history and the 28th all-time SAC team title across John Brown athletics. That same 2025 outdoor season saw Anna Keys qualify for the NAIA Outdoor National Championships, while Evie Scoles represented the Blue and Gold at the NAIA Indoor National Championships in the women's shot put.
Cunningham's cross country teams have posted back-to-back podium finishes at the SAC Championships under his leadership, with the men taking third of 11 teams in 2024 and second of 10 in the 2025 season that earned Cunningham his Coach of the Year honor, and the women finishing second of nine in 2024 and third of nine in 2025. Each season's conference meet produced a national qualifier, with Chase Schermer and Hope Ahnfeldt advancing in 2024 and Samuel Burkett and Abigail Stucker advancing in 2025.
On the track, the JBU men finished eighth of 12 teams in 2025 before climbing to sixth of 11 in 2026, a season in which Payton Brack, Burkett and Schermer also qualified for the NAIA National Championships, where Brack and Schermer each advanced to the men's steeplechase finals. The women followed their historic 2025 campaign with a third-place finish among 12 teams in 2026, while Katalina Chan and Stucker also reached the NAIA National Championships.
In all, Cunningham has produced 11 Golden Eagle qualifying apperances in the NAIA National Championships across both cross country and track and field.
Cunningham graduated from Colorado Christian University in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in youth ministry, serving as team captain for two seasons on the Cougars' cross country and track teams.
The Branson, Mo. native resides in Siloam Springs.
