Billy Cannon
Encyclopedia
William Abb "Billy" Cannon (born August 2, 1937) is an All-American, 1959 Heisman Trophy
winner and 2008 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge, and one of the American Football League's
most celebrated players.
He was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi
, and moved to Baton Rouge when his father got a job there during World War II
. He graduated from Istrouma High School
in 1956.
. In football, he scored 39 touchdowns his senior year, was named All-State and All-America and led his high school to a state championship in 1955. He put a 16-pound shot 54 feet.
to its first AP national championship
. #1 LSU clinched the title in the Sugar Bowl, beating #12 Clemson 7-0. The only score was a pass from Cannon to Mickey Mangham. Cannon was also voted the 1958 UPI Player of the Year
. In 1959, Cannon led #1 LSU to a victory over #3 Ole Miss
. The Tigers were trailing 3-0 when Cannon returned a punt 89 yards for a TD, breaking seven tackles. It was the only TD of the game, resulting in a 7–3 victory for LSU in Tiger Stadium
. That year, Cannon won the Heisman Trophy and was again voted the UPI College Football Player of the Year|UPI Player of the Year. Other big games from Cannon's time at LSU were unranked LSU's 20–13 victory over #17 Georgia Tech
in 1957, #1 LSU's 14–0 victory over #6 Ole Miss in 1958, and #1 LSU's 10-0 victory over #9 TCU
in 1959. The No. 20 worn by Cannon was retired after the 1959 season. It was the only football number retired by LSU until 2009, when Tommy Casanova
's number was also retired.
Cannon had been originally elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1983, but the Hall rescinded the honor before his induction due to his confessed involvement in a counterfeiting scheme (for more information on the scheme, see below). The Hall elected him a second time in 2008, and he was formally inducted during a ceremony on December 9 of that year.
, his signing by the Houston Oilers
followed a fierce bidding war that began when Oilers owner Bud Adams
met Cannon in the end zone
following LSU
's Sugar Bowl
victory, and ended in court, with the AFL
winning against the NFL. That put the fledgling league on the football
map. Cannon, at halfback
, scored an 88-yard touchdown on a pass from George Blanda
in the first AFL Championship game, a 24-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers
. He scored the only touchdown in the Oilers’ repeat victory over the San Diego Chargers
in the second-ever AFL Championship game.
Cannon amassed 2,043 all-purpose yards in 1961
, and led the league in rushing. He played for the Oilers from 1960
through 1963
and went to the Oakland Raiders
in 1964
. Al Davis
converted him to tight end
during the 1964
season, and he finished his career as one of the best players of all time at that position. Cannon was All-League
in 1961 and played in the AFL All-Star Game
as a halfback in 1961
. He was an AFL All-League selection at tight end in 1967, when he scored 10 receiving touchdown
s. He played tight end in the in 1969
AFL All-Star Game
. He accounted for a total of 64 touchdowns in his career, 47 of them receiving. For his career, he amassed 3,656 yards receiving, 2,455 yards rushing, and 1,882 return yards for a combined total of 8,003 yards and 63 touchdowns. He also passed for 46 yards and one touchdown. He played in a total of six AFL Championship games, winning twice with the Oilers and once with the Raiders.
Billy Cannon is one of 20 players who played the entire ten years of the American Football League's existence. He is also one of 14 players to score 5+ touchdowns in one game, and also holds the Oilers/Titans franchise record for most points (30) and most touchdowns (5) in a single game.
and additional degrees in orthodontia from Loyola University Chicago
. Despite a successful practice, by 1983 he was in financial difficulties from bad real estate
investments and gambling
debts. He became involved in a counterfeiting scheme and served 2½ years of a five-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Texarkana
. He printed $50 million in U.S. 100-dollar bills that he stored in ice chests, buried in the backyard of one of the houses he owned and rented out. Upon his release in 1986, he regained his license, but struggled to rebuild his practice.
In 1990, Cannon was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of former Teamsters Union business agent Edward Grady Partin
, whose testimony in 1964 had sent Jimmy Hoffa
to prison for jury tampering
.
In 1995, he was hired as a dentist at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
, initially as a contractor. At the time, the prison's dental clinic was in chaos, with many dentists refusing to work and inmates often being unable to make appointments. Cannon immediately set to reorganizing the dental program with great success, and was soon hired as a full-time employee. The warden, impressed with Cannon's work with the dental program, later put him in charge of the prison's entire medical system. Cannon remains the resident dentist at the penitentiary, where inmates typically call him "Legend".
Billy's son Billy Cannon, Jr.
played linebacker for Texas A&M and was selected in the first round of the NFL draft in 1984, by the Dallas Cowboys
. Cannon now resides in Saint Francisville, Louisiana.
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner and 2008 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge, and one of the American Football League's
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
most celebrated players.
He was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,303 at the 2000 census.- History :...
, and moved to Baton Rouge when his father got a job there during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He graduated from Istrouma High School
Istrouma High School
Istrouma High School is a public school located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in 1917, and is located in East Baton Rouge Parish. Its name is a local Indian word meaning "red stick". Red stick is also the English language translation of the French words baton rouge...
in 1956.
High school
Billy Cannon started high school at Istrouma in Baton Rouge, in 1952. He was noted for his speed and strength, and became a star athlete in football and trackTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. In football, he scored 39 touchdowns his senior year, was named All-State and All-America and led his high school to a state championship in 1955. He put a 16-pound shot 54 feet.
College
Cannon played three seasons for LSU: 1957, 1958, and 1959. In 1958, Cannon led LSULSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
to its first AP national championship
1958 LSU Tigers football team
The 1958 LSU Tigers segregated football team represented Louisiana State University during the 1958 college football season. Under head coach Paul Dietzel, the Tigers cruised to an undefeated season capped by a win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl...
. #1 LSU clinched the title in the Sugar Bowl, beating #12 Clemson 7-0. The only score was a pass from Cannon to Mickey Mangham. Cannon was also voted the 1958 UPI Player of the Year
UPI College Football Player of the Year
The United Press International College Football Player of the Year Award was among the first and most recognized college football awards. With the demise of UPI in 1997 the award was discontinued. Offensive and defensive players were eligible. Tommy Nobis was the runner-up that season...
. In 1959, Cannon led #1 LSU to a victory over #3 Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
. The Tigers were trailing 3-0 when Cannon returned a punt 89 yards for a TD, breaking seven tackles. It was the only TD of the game, resulting in a 7–3 victory for LSU in Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium (LSU)
Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924...
. That year, Cannon won the Heisman Trophy and was again voted the UPI College Football Player of the Year|UPI Player of the Year. Other big games from Cannon's time at LSU were unranked LSU's 20–13 victory over #17 Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1957, #1 LSU's 14–0 victory over #6 Ole Miss in 1958, and #1 LSU's 10-0 victory over #9 TCU
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
in 1959. The No. 20 worn by Cannon was retired after the 1959 season. It was the only football number retired by LSU until 2009, when Tommy Casanova
Tommy Casanova
Thomas Henry "Tommy" Casanova, III is an ophthalmologist in Crowley, Louisiana, and a former American football player and politician. He played football for the LSU Tigers and the Cincinnati Bengals...
's number was also retired.
Cannon had been originally elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1983, but the Hall rescinded the honor before his induction due to his confessed involvement in a counterfeiting scheme (for more information on the scheme, see below). The Hall elected him a second time in 2008, and he was formally inducted during a ceremony on December 9 of that year.
AFL
Cannon had an uncommon combination of brute strength with the speed of a sprinter. A track and field coach is reported to have remarked during his college career that he could have lost 15 pounds and won the NCAA gold in the 100 meter dash, or gained 15 pounds and won the NCAA gold in the shotput. In 19601960 American Football League season
The 1960 American Football League season was the inaugural regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the Houston Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the inaugural AFL Championship game.-Division races:...
, his signing by the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
followed a fierce bidding war that began when Oilers owner Bud Adams
Bud Adams
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. is the owner of the Tennessee Titans' National Football League franchise. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League. Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the Titans franchise, which was...
met Cannon in the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
following LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
's Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
victory, and ended in court, with the AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
winning against the NFL. That put the fledgling league on the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
map. Cannon, at halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
, scored an 88-yard touchdown on a pass from George Blanda
George Blanda
George Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
in the first AFL Championship game, a 24-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He scored the only touchdown in the Oilers’ repeat victory over the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the second-ever AFL Championship game.
Cannon amassed 2,043 all-purpose yards in 1961
1961 American Football League season
The 1961 American Football League season was the second regular season of the American Football League. The Los Angeles Chargers moved to San Diego, California following the 1960 season, retaining the Chargers name....
, and led the league in rushing. He played for the Oilers from 1960
1960 American Football League season
The 1960 American Football League season was the inaugural regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the Houston Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the inaugural AFL Championship game.-Division races:...
through 1963
1963 American Football League season
The 1963 American Football League season was the fourth regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the San Diego Chargers defeated the Boston Patriots in the AFL Championship game.-Division Races:...
and went to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1964
1964 American Football League season
The 1964 American Football League season was the fifth regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the Buffalo Bills defeated the San Diego Chargers in the AFL Championship game...
. Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
converted him to tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
during the 1964
1964 American Football League season
The 1964 American Football League season was the fifth regular season of the American Football League.The season ended when the Buffalo Bills defeated the San Diego Chargers in the AFL Championship game...
season, and he finished his career as one of the best players of all time at that position. Cannon was All-League
1961 American Football League All-League Players
-Sporting News American Football League All-League Team - 1961:The 1961 American Football League All-League Team was selected by AFL players and published by the Sporting News. The 1961 All-League players were augmented by other All-Stars to form two squads, Eastern and Western, to play in the...
in 1961 and played in the AFL All-Star Game
American Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
as a halfback in 1961
1961 American Football League season
The 1961 American Football League season was the second regular season of the American Football League. The Los Angeles Chargers moved to San Diego, California following the 1960 season, retaining the Chargers name....
. He was an AFL All-League selection at tight end in 1967, when he scored 10 receiving touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s. He played tight end in the in 1969
1969 American Football League season
The 1969 American Football League season was the tenth regular season of the American Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger...
AFL All-Star Game
American Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
. He accounted for a total of 64 touchdowns in his career, 47 of them receiving. For his career, he amassed 3,656 yards receiving, 2,455 yards rushing, and 1,882 return yards for a combined total of 8,003 yards and 63 touchdowns. He also passed for 46 yards and one touchdown. He played in a total of six AFL Championship games, winning twice with the Oilers and once with the Raiders.
Billy Cannon is one of 20 players who played the entire ten years of the American Football League's existence. He is also one of 14 players to score 5+ touchdowns in one game, and also holds the Oilers/Titans franchise record for most points (30) and most touchdowns (5) in a single game.
Later life
Cannon became an orthodontist after his pro football career, earning a D.D.S. at the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and additional degrees in orthodontia from Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
. Despite a successful practice, by 1983 he was in financial difficulties from bad real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
investments and gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
debts. He became involved in a counterfeiting scheme and served 2½ years of a five-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Texarkana
Federal Correctional Institution, Texarkana
The Federal Correctional Institution, Texarkana is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility in unincorporated Bowie County, Texas, near Texarkana, Texas. The prison, near the Texas-Arkansas border, is north of Shreveport, Louisiana and east of Dallas, Texas. It is a low-security facility used for the...
. He printed $50 million in U.S. 100-dollar bills that he stored in ice chests, buried in the backyard of one of the houses he owned and rented out. Upon his release in 1986, he regained his license, but struggled to rebuild his practice.
In 1990, Cannon was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of former Teamsters Union business agent Edward Grady Partin
Edward Grady Partin
Edward Grady Partin, Sr. , was a business agent of the Teamsters Union in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His testimony in 1964 helped to convict union president James Riddle Hoffa of jury tampering.-Early years:...
, whose testimony in 1964 had sent Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader....
to prison for jury tampering
Jury tampering
Jury tampering is the crime of unduly attempting to influence the composition and/or decisions of a jury during the course of a trial.The means by which this crime could be perpetrated can include attempting to discredit potential jurors to ensure they will not be selected for duty. Once selected,...
.
In 1995, he was hired as a dentist at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
, initially as a contractor. At the time, the prison's dental clinic was in chaos, with many dentists refusing to work and inmates often being unable to make appointments. Cannon immediately set to reorganizing the dental program with great success, and was soon hired as a full-time employee. The warden, impressed with Cannon's work with the dental program, later put him in charge of the prison's entire medical system. Cannon remains the resident dentist at the penitentiary, where inmates typically call him "Legend".
Billy's son Billy Cannon, Jr.
Billy Cannon, Jr.
Billy Abb Cannon, Jr. is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys...
played linebacker for Texas A&M and was selected in the first round of the NFL draft in 1984, by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. Cannon now resides in Saint Francisville, Louisiana.