LOUISIANA, Mo. — The Cunningham Invitational has been a tradition seen through many generations here at Louisiana High School. It has usually always been the third week of April but now it is on a Friday, compared to its original day, a Tuesday.

The track meet was originally named after a man and a wonderful coach, Coach William (Bill) Cunningham. Returning to Louisiana, Coach Cunningham began teaching and coaching in the 1950s. He would continue this role in his life for over thirty years. He coached football, basketball, and track during his time at Louisiana.

During his years of coaching, he created the traditional Cunningham Invitational. It was originally on a Tuesday after school. There were over twenty schools that would come and compete. The school then later shut it down because they would not allow a track meet to run before 3pm in the afternoon. This was the end of the Cunningham Invitational. This all changed six or seven years later Louisiana when they hosted district track. The school also believed it would be a great time to bring back the Cunningham Invitational. Now with the meet taking place on a Saturday, it could last all day with a good number of teams competing. It would be expected to start early in the morning around 8 am and go until 5pm that day.

Somehow over the years, the day of the meet got pushed to a Friday. It is also typically the Friday before prom at Louisiana. Every athlete remembers the tradition and feel of the Cunningham Invitational.

If you want to experience the 2023 Cunningham Invitational, it takes place this afternoon. The meet in Louisiana starts with the field events at 4pm.