FOXBORO — It was a little advice, from one No. 39 to another.

Former Patriots bruiser Sam “Bam” Cunningham, who is being inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Thursday, had the chance to chat with current New England running back Laurence Maroney at the end of Wednesday morning practice. The chance for Maroney to show some “respect” for another running back who wore the No. 39 before he did was too great an opportunity to pass up.

“It was definitely an honor,” Maroney said. “Just wearing his jersey and trying to keep that number alive and following in his footsteps and trying to do a little bit better. You have to come and show your respect to that guy.”

The two stood on the field talking for roughly 10 minutes before parting company. In that stretch, Cunningham said they talked about more than just the game of football.

“The game is just a little-bitty part of it. What advice can I give him, other than play hard and have fun with it? Which is what I’ve always tried to do,” Cunningham said. “We talked more about how it’s such a short time in our lives that you need to put as much into it as you can because afterwards you get, you and your family get to appreciate what you did for that little short time.

“He kept saying it was my number, and I said, ‘It was our number,’ and we kept arguing. ‘My number has my name on it, your number has your name on it.’ So I just want him to just have fun and just enjoy it, because when you start it, it seems like it’s going to be forever, but it isn’t, and then, when it’s done, you wished you had more time to do something with it ,and then, 30 years down the line, you receive some of benefits and appreciation of what you did. That’s all we talked about.

Taken 11th overall in the 1973 draft by the Patriots, the USC product (who played in New England from 1973-79 and 1981-82) remains the leading rusher in the history of the franchise with 5,453 yards. He also has the most rushing attempts in franchise history (1,385) and is second in rushing TDs (43) and tied for eighth in yards per carry (3.9).

He was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team in 1978, a season where he rushed for 768 yards and played a prominent role in helping the Patriots set the NFL record for most rushing yards gained in a season with 3,165.  As a result, he became this year’s inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

“To me, it means that the work we put in many years ago was appreciated,” Cunningham said. “I came here 3,000 miles away from California to play back here — I didn’t know what it was going to be like and how it was going to turn out, and I got the opportunity to work with a bunch of great players and a bunch of great coaches, and we did as well as we could do for what we had for as long as we could. And for the fans to appreciate that and remember, thirtysomething years down the line, to bless me and my family with this honor, it means an awful lot.”

In his Wednesday morning press conference, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was quick to point out that they don’t make hybrid runners like Cunningham anymore, who at 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds was more of a fullback than a running back.

“[He is] kind of a guy that played at a time where a lot of people don’t really probably right now appreciate what fullbacks were in the 70s and early 80s — [they were] guys that not only blocked, but ran the ball, caught it and really never came off the field,” Belichick said.

“He was a big ball carrier, a hard guy to tackle, a very good runner, a good blocker, caught the ball well, very good in short-yardage and goal line,” added Belichick. “He just had an outstanding career professionally after his great career in college. [He was] a very tough guy to defend – the kind of player that, like I said, you don’t really see too much anymore – the Franco Harrises, the Sam Cunninghams, the guys that were fullbacks, but also had an element of tailback in them just on a bigger frame.”

But Cunningham’s legacy goes far beyond the playing field. His performance in a 1970 game between Alabama and USC helped bring about a change in the racial sensibilities throughout the south, and is the stuff of legend in college football circles. Bear Bryant’s Alabama team of all white players was embarrassed, as Cunningham romped for 135 yards and two touchdowns.

“What will always stick out to me about him was what he did for integration in the South,” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft. “At our 50th anniversary ceremony, it was very poignant and he hadn’t been back here since he left and we had a party in our backyard and John Hannah and he are there and [former Alabama star] John Hannah said, ‘Sam Cunningham did more for integration than Dr. Martin Luther King in that area,’ because when Bear Bryant brought him into the locker room after they had been beaten by USC and said, ‘This is what a real football player is.’”

Cunningham said he doesn’t see the award as validation, but instead an appreciation of the body of work he was able to accumulate.

“It’s not a validation of anything,” Cunningham said. “It’s just we came and we put in our work as hard as we could and as much as we could, and for the fans and people to appreciate it, at the end of the day, that’s all you want. You make your money and you spend your money and you do whatever you do with it. But the appreciation factor is something that never goes away.”