Bruce Pearl has led Auburn basketball to much on-court success in his 10-season tenure with the Tigers, but his biggest impacts on the Plains may come off it.

Pearl, 64, is an active supporter of those dealing with cancer. The Bruce Pearl Family Foundation runs an initiative named "AUTLIVE," which is designed to promote the early detection of cancer and raise money to directly support patients suffering from the disease.

One of those the AUTLIVE program has helped is Auburn freshman Sam Cunningham, who was declared cancer free in March 2022 after he was diagnosed with Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia while in the sixth grade, according to an Auburn University story published in February.

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Cunningham battled cancer for five years. Early on in his fight, Pearl sent Cunningham a video message telling him that "cancer picked the wrong hombre; it picked the wrong dude to mess with." Pearl and Cunningham later met in person, and the coach told Cunningham that he was going to one day beat cancer, enroll at Auburn and become his assistant.

Cunningham has done just that, becoming a student manager with the Tigers as a freshman.

"It was just real funny to me," Cunningham said of Pearl's video message in a recent interview with CBS. "'Cancer picked the wrong hombre; it picked the wrong dude to mess with.' That quote is what I kept with me when I got in my darkest days in the hospital and stuff."

Cunningham, along with the rest of the managerial staff, helps Pearl run practice efficiently, often rebounding for players and facilitating drills in whatever way he can.

Pearl said in his interview with CBS: "In my prayers, it's, 'God, don't let this thing relapse. Take me. Let Sam live.'"

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn manager Sam Cunningham beat cancer with Bruce Pearl's help