Injury setback, memory of best friend spurs Jeannette grad Robert Kennedy to new heights for Old Dominion football

The reminder is always there for Robert Kennedy. It’s there multiple times a day.

On his phone’s wallpaper, Kennedy has a picture of his best friend, Tre Cunningham. Cunningham was killed in a motorcycle accident in summer 2020, and the photo is a reminder of the friendship the former Jeannette Jayhawks shared.

It’s also a reminder of how quickly something can be taken away and to never take anything for granted.

Last season, after transferring from East Carolina to Old Dominion, Kennedy had football taken away. He saw limited action in four games for the Monarchs before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Healthy this season, Kennedy rededicated himself to football and has emerged as a playmaker for ODU.

Through the first four games, Kennedy has 18 total tackles. He recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown — the team’s first TD of the season — in the Monarchs’ season-opening win over ACC opponent Virginia Tech. He also had six total tackles and broke up two passes against the Hokies.

Against Virginia two weeks ago — a game ODU lost on a field goal with no time left — Kennedy had five solo tackles and forced a fumble. And Saturday, as the Monarchs (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) rallied past Arkansas State, Kennedy had six total stops.

“That was a challenging time for RK,” said ODU safeties coach Remington Rebstock about Kennedy’s injury. “He faced a lot of adversity with that. He kind of had to battle his way back.

“He has matured and become more of a seasoned player. He understands that the margin of error is so small at this level of football, so he’s gone to work on finding those small details in the film that are gong to help him play fast on game day.”

Said Kennedy, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound safety: “I’m really understanding the whole entire game. I’m paying attention to film. I’m not just ‘watching’ film anymore. I’m looking for what the quarterback wants, how the receivers run their routes, how the linemen line up. I’m just paying attention to the full game.”

The fumble return touchdown, he said, is a prime example. He said it was a simple matter of knowing where he was supposed to be, and, when the ball came free, he was in position to make a play.

That ability to “think” the game has served Kennedy well as he has begun to blossom for ODU. At Jeannette, and even in juco at Lackawanna College, he was able to excel based almost solely on his athleticism.

Now, with a more cerebral approach to the game, he is starting to diagnose plays quicker, which makes the action in front of him seem slower.

“I felt it in the second half of the Virginia game,” he said, “that the game was just real slow for me. I feel like right now I’m at the place where I want to be.”

Rebstock said he likes the trajectory Kennedy is following. With the rest of this season and one more full season ahead of him, Kennedy, Rebstock said, has All-Sun Belt potential.

Kennedy, however, doesn’t let himself think in those terms.

“I’m a team-first player,” he said. “Independently, I’m not even going to say anything about (my goals) independently. I’m just focused on the team. Independently, everything will come if we’re winning as a team.”

Kennedy said, frankly, he is just happy to be playing. Being away from the game for so much of last season, he said, instilled him with a sense of gratitude every time he steps on the field.

Rebstock can see that reflected in his play.

“I think (the injury) made him that much more hungry,” he said. “So as long as he keeps that drive and that commitment to understanding that every play and every game could be your last … he’ll just keep climbing.”

And as he continues on that journey, Kennedy said he will never stop honoring the memory of his best friend.

“I always think about him,” Kennedy said about Cunningham. “Every time I wake up or I’m about to go to sleep, I’m always thinking about him.”