From Anaconda to the NFL: Ed Cummings, a former Bronco and Jet and a Hall of Famer at Stanford, had a career that went beyond the gridiron

Several accounts exist on Anaconda’s biggest athletes such as Wayne Estes, Ed Kalafat, and the Lazetich brothers. However, the late 1950s and early 1960s saw Anaconda produce another local gridiron legend in his own right: Ed Cummings. 

Cummings was born in Anaconda on June 29, 1941, to Edward J. Cummings and Charlotte Ely Cummings. He attended St. Peter’s Grade School before moving on to Anaconda Junior High, and then Anaconda High School. When Cummings entered high school as a freshman in 1955, Anaconda – along with Bozeman, Livingston and Butte Central – were moved into the football-only “Big Six” Conference. At the time, schools such as Butte, Helena, Missoula, Kalispell, Great Falls, and Billings stood alone in this conference for football. For basketball, however, these schools competed in Class A. With the addition of Anaconda and the three other schools, the “Big Six” became the “Big Ten.” Today, this class of schools is known as Class AA. 

Cummings would become a key contributor for the Copperheads during his sophomore season, where he started on defense. His junior and senior campaigns would have him playing both offense and defense, and he excelled on both sides of the ball. His talent on the football field was widely recognized, as he was named All-State for both his junior and senior seasons. After his senior season, Cummings was selected to play in the Montana East-West Shrine Game. In total, he would score 126 points for the Copperhead football team. More than just a gridiron great, Cummings also starred on the Copperheads basketball and track teams. For three years, he was a part of Anaconda’s varsity basketball team, for which he would start for the team during his junior and senior seasons. During his time on the basketball team, he would score a total of 349 points. More than a star on the field and court, Cummings also had a knack for academics, as he graduated from AHS in 1959 as class president and an honor student. 

Throughout his youth and teenage years, it is noted that Cummings idolized Montana Grizzlies players, hoping that he would soon become one of them. However, it was a heart-to-heart talk with Anaconda coaching legend John Cheek that pushed him to attend Stanford University. Cummings, in a 2005 article in the Missoulian, said, “He (Cheek) called me into his office and said, ‘If you go play football at Stanford, you will sit on the bench for the next four years.” The conversation angered Cummings, but through it all, he knew what he had to do. “That made me so damn mad, I decided right there, I was going to Stanford,” said Cummings in that interview. As history would have it, Cummings would make the right choice by taking his talents to Palo Alto. 

Cummings would have to wait his turn to see the field at the college level, as NCAA rules forbade schools from playing freshmen in varsity games. Still, he proved his old coach wrong and soon became a gridiron star for Stanford. Still within the era of two-way players, Cummings excelled at both fullback and linebacker for Coach “Cactus” Jack Curtis. He was not only an All-American on offense, but led Stanford in tackles as a junior and senior in 1961-62. In 2005, Cummings was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. Unfortunately for Cummings, his three years at Stanford would never produce a winning season, with the best finish being a 5-5 record in 1962. After his senior season at Stanford, Cummings was selected to represent the West squad at the East-West Shrine Bowl that was held in San Francisco. This game would feature notable NFL legends such as Daryle Lamonica and John Mackey. 

After his time was up at Stanford, Cummings would go on to pursue a career in professional football, and his first chance came in the NFL came in 1963 with the world-renowned New York Giants. Cummings’ time with the Giants would be short-lived after an injury in practice resulted in him being cut the next day. Looking to take a break from football, Ed enrolled in graduate school at Columbia University. In 1964, during his first year at Columbia, Cummings reportedly walked into the New York Jets office building (then a member of the fledgling American Football League), where he asked to tryout as a linebacker. Cummings would ultimately get his first taste of playing time, as he suited up in 11 games for the Jets during the 1964 season. His next stop in his professional career would ultimately be his last before changing career paths. In the summer of 1965, Cummings was traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a future draft choice. Cummings would suit up and play in all 14 games of the Broncos’ 1965 campaign. 

With the sun beginning to set on his professional football career, Cummings decided to move back to Montana and attend law school at the University of Montana. Cummings obtained his law degree in 1969, after which he became a personal injury lawyer in Missoula until retiring in 1986.

Upon his retirement, Cummings purchased a cattle ranch near Stevensville. He would also become heavily involved within the Stevensville community, as he served on both the Stevensville School board and Ravalli County Planning Board. Cummings had four children, one of which – Joe – would follow in his father’s footsteps by playing at Wyoming before having brief stints in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills. 

Ed Cummings passed away from natural causes on Sept. 25, 2020.

Jeff Frank contributed to this article.