Sophie Cunningham set to be inducted into Mizzou Hall of Fame
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
In her first year of eligibility, Mid-Missouri legend Sophie Cunningham earned a spot in the 2025 Mizzou Hall of Fame class. She is the first member that MU Athletics chose to announce, via a social media video on Monday morning.
Cunningham is currently a star in the WNBA, having just been traded to the Indiana Fever this offseason, following six seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. However, before the nation knew about Sophie Cunningham, she was beloved by the Tiger faithful.
After graduating from Rock Bridge High School with McDonald's All-American honors and four Class 5 state titles under her belt, the Columbia native went to make her mark at Mizzou Arena. Boy, did she get the job done.
She spent four seasons in Columbia and instantly became a game-changer for former head coach Robin Pingeton, when she stepped on campus in 2015. In her debut season, Cunningham was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, as she led the team in scoring (14.0), shooting about 50 percent from the field and also tallied 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
The Tigers made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years during Cunningham's freshman campaign, getting to the second round of the action. While she was on campus, Mizzou never missed the Big Dance, making an appearance in four-straight seasons.
Cunningham only got better, as her time at MU went along. In her final season, which game in 2018-19, she averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 34 minutes per game. She was the only player in the nation to average 17 points per game, make 80 3-pointers, make 150 free throws and record 200 rebounds.
Her list of accolades is pretty lengthy. Cunningham was the first player in program history to be named an All-American, earning Third Team honors from the Associated Press and others. She made an All-Conference team each year she played in Columbia, earning First-Team honors her sophomore, junior and senior seasons, which made her the first player in program history to earn First-Team honors three times.
The Mizzou legend finished her illustrious career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,187 points and all-time leader in free throws made with 537. She also ranks second in 3-pointers made all time (238), second in 3-point percentage (.403), second in free throw percentage (.839), third in points per game (17.0), fourth in assists (390), fourth in field goals made (706) and eighth in field goal percentage (.501).
Following her historic run, which included four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, Cunningham was drafted No. 13 overall to the Phoenix Mercury.
In 2025, she is set to enter her seventh season in the league. She averages 8.4 points, 3.9 rebounds sand 2.0 assists per game in 92 starts out of 182 appearances.
