William Abb Cannon Jr. (born October 8, 1962) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. It depends on what kind of contract they offer me, Cannon said of baseball. It was just time to go. His punt return against Ole Miss on Halloween night in 1959 is considered by fans and sportswriters to be one of the most famous plays in LSU sports history. Weve never talked about where he was or why he did it. [26] The team remained atop subsequent polls as it finished the regular season undefeated and was named national champion by the AP and UPI. He was. . [28][29][30] He was awarded player of the year honors by United Press International, The Sporting News, and the Touchdown Club of Columbus. [55][84], As he was preparing to begin post-graduate studies in orthodontics at Loyola University in Chicago, Cannon received a call from Kansas City Chiefs head coach Hank Stram. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He was born on October 8, 1961 and his birthplace is Baton Rouge Louisiana. In his day, there was no bigger name than Billy Cannon. Cannon is now well enough to lift weights and to play racquetball. Community. [7] Although generally appearing in just the first half of games, he scored 229 points that season, a state record at the time. In July 1983, Billy Cannon Sr., a 46-year-old Baton Rouge orthodontist, was imprisoned for being a key figure in a $4.75 million counterfeiting scheme. Im sure no one out there in baseball will be waving big dollars at him. . Unlike his father, he doesn't have quite enough speed. [18] Cannon recalled that Texas Tech's focus was solely on Taylor. [82], Cannon had a modest 1968 season in which he caught six touchdown passesincluding one of 48 yards in the second quarter of the famous Heidi Gamebut knew he would not be in Oakland much longer. Four ways the Dodgers can fill the hole in their lineup, Left-handed pitchers offer gold-like value for high school teams. ; sell their house in Irving and review the options open to him. Discover William Abb Cannon Jr.s Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. "Sports World Specials Cannon's Best Shot", "Draft rights of Cannon given to Tribe by Kuhn", "THE ORDEAL OF THE CANNONS: Billy Jr. Is the Son of a Famous Father Now in Prison and He Is Lucky to Have Survived Severe Neck Injury", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Cannon_Jr.&oldid=1077959468, Players of American football from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Short description is different from Wikidata, NFL player missing current team parameter, Infobox NFL biography articles with old NFL.com URL, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 March 2022, at 03:56. July 25, 2021 Cannon was thought to be an exception. And then comes the reasoning that is part rationale, part saving grace. This time, Ole Miss battered LSU. He was moved to fullback and later tight end after being traded to the Raiders, with whom he won another league championship in 1967. BILLY CANNON JR. QUITS AT 23 WITH NO REGRETS, https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/29/sports/billy-cannon-jr-quits-at-23-with-no-regrets.html. DALLAS -- Billy Cannon Jr., the son of a Louisiana football hero turned felon, hoped to hear his name called somewhere near the end of the second round of the NFL draft Tuesday. [41] In 1995, he was hired as a dentist at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, initially as a contractor. He was 80. He played college football at Texas A&M University. All football players perform with a degree of fear. He believed that the greatness of Billy Cannon Jr. was carried in his genes. [38][39] The Rebels mounted one last drive and reached the Tigers' 1-yard line before Cannon and Warren Rabb made a game-saving tackle on the fourth down and with 18 seconds on the clock. He signed with both the Los Angeles Rams of the N.F.L. In baseball, he played shortstop and was a two-time All-State and an All-American selection. It was reported that the Washington Redskins also had him as their desired selection in the round. [14] Additionally, Cannon's mother believed he should remain close to home. [36] Late in the fourth quarter, when the Tigers trailed 30, Cannon returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown, breaking seven tackles and running the last 60 yards untouched. It would be too confusing.. Cannon, 20, also a sophomore, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault Friday. . His father, Dr. Billy Cannon, the 1959 Heisman Trophy winner from Louisiana State, was sentenced in 1983 to five years in prison for his part in a counterfeiting scheme. [79] He convinced Davis to sign Blanda as a placekicker and a mentor for quarterback Daryle Lamonica. a 16-foot boat decked out to be a bass boat for swamps and canals. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ive got a pretty good start on life. Billy Cannon Jr.s income source is mostly from being a successful . Contact | Privacy Statement | Terms & Conditions. He was 80. [27] LSU followed up with a 70 victory over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl. Instead, the Texas . I feel more sorry for Dallas than for me, he said. . Everything happened real fast, he went on. Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 3 Professional career 4 Personal life 5 References 6 External links Early years [ edit] He also was a starter in the outfield for the baseball team. ''So there really wasn't a decision,'' Cannon said. [100], Cannon remains a respected and iconic figure in Louisiana sports despite his legal troubles. [16][34] Cannon finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy, behind winner, Pete Dawkins of Army, and runner-up, Randy Duncan of Iowa. [41] Cannon reorganized the dental program with great success and was soon hired as a full-time employee. "[31], With Cannon and most of the defensive starters returning in 1959, LSU was expected to compete for another national title. I love the swamps.. That season, he played in the second AFLNFL World Championship game, retroactively known as Super Bowl II, in which his team was defeated by the Green Bay Packers. [59][69] New leg injuries and lingering back problems caused Cannon to miss most of the 1963 season. At the age of 59 years, Billy Cannon Jr. weight not available right now. [62] His 88-yard touchdown reception from quarterback George Blanda in the 1960 AFL Championship Game helped the Oilers become the inaugural AFL champions. (But) another dream was coming back here. Cannon was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round (25th overall) of the 1984 NFL draft, becoming the first player from Texas A&M University drafted by the Cowboys. Over the last five years, Ive been around George Steinbrenner, Jackie Sherill (coach at Texas A&M;), Coach Landry, but it doesnt all seem big-time to me, Cannon said. In a way, he said, he felt worse for the Cowboys. So Cannon went to Texas A&M;, playing baseball only in the summer. That August, he was sentenced to five years in prison. Stram signed Cannon to a one-year contract and he played in six games for the Chiefs in 1970, catching two touchdowns before a season-ending injury convinced him to retire. He later recalled: "I left the team with good feelings and a lot of good friends. Along the way, Billy Cannon broke six tackles and ran a breathtaking 89 yards to score the winning touchdown. "[45] He was the second player from the SEC to win the trophy, following Georgia's Frank Sinkwich in 1942. Movies. [80] Because of a new agreement between the two leagues, the Raiders earned a place in the second AFLNFL World Championship game, in which they faced the Green Bay Packers. Anyone can read what you share. He never explained his role in the counterfeiting, saying only: I took a shot. Not a thing. [60] Nor did he get along well with Rymkus, whom he described as "unpleasant, confrontational, with a nasty disposition and an oversized ego. His most memorable play came as a senior. [75] He eventually accepted his new role and adapted quickly to it. [74] Next season Davis moved him to tight end, to the chagrin of Cannon; he expected to be made into a wide receiver, but the Raiders had both Art Powell and rookie Fred Biletnikoff to cover that position. He also threw one touchdown pass and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Cannon dropped back to field it. Open Description. ''I have a lot going for me,'' Billy Jr. said. After the New York Yankees drafted him in the third round, teams filed grievances citing that they were misled by the telegrams, while there were secret meetings with the Yankees to negotiate a contract agreement. At 60 years old, Billy Cannon Jr. height is 193 cm and Weight 231 lb (105 kg). They think of players like Darryl Stingley, the former wide receiver from the New England Patriots who became paralyzed as a result of being tackled in 1977. Billy Cannon Jr., Net Worth, Biography, Place of Birth, Date of Birth, Age, Family, Facts and More in FamedBorn.com, English singer-songwriter, rapper and actor, Way to Find Birth on Today - Celebrity birthdays. [4][10] This was the first in a series of legal troubles in Cannon's life. But can there be anything so numbing as these past two years, when tragedy plundered one of Louisianas sports symbols, the very name of Cannon? [95] Warden Burl Cain, impressed with Cannon's work with the dental program, put him in charge of the prison's entire medical system. commissioner). [23][24] The sixth game of the season was against Florida for LSU's homecoming. [21] Jim Taylor's graduation allowed Dietzel to give Cannon more time playing on offense. A two-time AFL All-Star, Cannon led the league in rushing and all-purpose yards in 1961. He is from United States. Cannon alternated playing time at right outside linebacker with Anthony Dickerson last season. The Yankees still chose Cannon, then 18, and offered him an estimated $300,000 signing bonus. All of them came to the same conclusion. A fine college player at four positions who had been drafted out of high school as an outfielder by the Yankees (and later chosen by the Indians after the Yankees were found to have violated the draft rules), he was being groomed by the Cowboys to become a starter. In the coming weeks, the Cannons plan to restart their lives in Baton Rouge, La. You ask how a man who had all of what he had going for him could become mixed up in a counterfeit scheme. Billy Cannon was the son that every father would want. Cannon became a dentist after retiring from football. [48] Two months later, on the field after LSU's Sugar Bowl loss, Cannon signed another contract; this one was with the American Football League's Houston Oilers, whose owner Bud Adams offered Cannon $33,000 a year for three years with a $10,000 signing bonus. They flew Cannon and his parents to New York, took them to dinner, to a game and to see Mickey Rooney in the stage play Sugar Babies.. Its always difficult to deal with human setbacks, especially with the family. After the Yankees selection was voided, he committed to Texas A&M University to the dismay of LSU fans. He began his professional career as a halfback for the Oilers. He was moved to fullback and later tight end after being traded to the Raiders, with whom he won another league championship in 1967. He is a linebacker who was selected in the first round of last year's draft by the Dallas Cowboys, selected 25th. [76] However, the tight end was seldom used in the Raiders' offense. He played college football at Texas A&M University. Billy Sr sent letters to every MLB team telling them that Jr was going to play CFB, so don't draft Jr. I needed it.. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'buzzlearn_com-box-4','ezslot_5',127,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-box-4-0');Billy Cannon Jr.s birthday is on 8-Oct-1961 and was born on Sunday. I'm looking forward. On Halloween night in 1979, he returned a punt against Istrouma (his father's alma mater) 89 yards for a touchdown and a 2018 win, exactly 20 years after his father had his famous 89 yard punt return for Louisiana State University to beat Ole Miss 73. But a federal judge invalidated a three-year, $50,000 contract he had secretly signed with Pete Rozelle, the Rams general manager (and later the N.F.L. It almost seems like I never played with the Cowboys, Cannon said. We had our dreams. That, however, isnt really where this story begins. [22] LSU entered the season with talent and depth on both offense and defense. "[52] The AFL's victory against the established NFL helped bring legitimacy to the fledgling league. But every player knows that permanent or debilitating injury could be only one play away. Rise Cannon said, No. [10] They had five children together. At the time of his arrest, friends were shocked when Cannon admitted to having financed the initial engraving and printing scheme to escape a cash flow problem. "They were just wearing Jimmy out", he said. Cannon has four sisters and no brothers. For Billy Cannon Jr., this is home. and Tulane in 2009. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. He is not dating anyone. 2 Ole Miss. A few weeks later, Billy Cannon received the 1959 Heisman Trophy. The former LSU football star has agreed to testify against three other men involved in the case in return for consideration from the court. There was already an agreement to play for the Yankees, but MLB disqualified the pick. [41] The hall elected him a second time in 2008, and he was formally inducted during a ceremony on December 9 of that year. In a special lottery, Cleveland won and drafted him. in rushing yards in his second season. Because of this and his injury problems, Cannon successfully requested that the team let him leave. Getting Started | Contributor Zone . [83] Nevertheless, he was invited as a replacement to play in his second All-Star game. [68] The Oilers reached the championship game for a third time, but lost to the Dallas Texans in the first ever double-overtime game in professional football history. He is a linebacker who was selected in the first round of last years draft by the Dallas Cowboys, selected 25th overall, two spots before the Redskins had planned to make him their top pick. He said he had no money. At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, he sprinted 100 yards in 9.5 seconds for the university track team. Go figure it., Billy Cannon, Football Star With a Troubled Life, Dies at 80, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/20/obituaries/billy-cannon-dead-football-heisman.html. Things will go back to being like they were. People named Billy Cannon, Jr. Find your friends on Facebook [4][11] His leading options included Florida and Ole Miss,[12][13] but he chose LSU, who offered a job between semesters at a local car dealership; other colleges did not guarantee a job. Billy Cannon is the finest football player I've ever coached. He went through Texas A&M; at a time when he knew that people were looking at him (at the time of his fathers arrest) and he knew what they were all thinking.. Showing Editorial results for billy_cannon,_jr.. In the award's balloting of 1,197 media members, he received 519 first-place votes; runner-up Richie Lucas received 98 such votes. Lined up in the left outside linebacker position in a short-yardage situation, he moved into a gap to help stop Wayne Walker of the New Orleans Saints. He had pleaded guilty . All; . Everything went numb, Cannon said. Learn about Billy Cannon Jr. Net Worth, Biography, Age, Birthday, Height, Early Life, Family, Dating, Partner, Wiki, and Facts. Search Celebrity Celebrity of the day Dappy English singer-songwriter, rapper and actor Of course, George Steinbrenner puts a lot of faith in breeding. [16] He had originally been 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 the counterfeiting scheme. Daddy will be getting out soon and I could work for him. [5] As a freshman, he started 6 games as a flanker, making 11 receptions for 118 yards (fourth on the team). In football he played quarterback, running back, safety, special teams and even kicked a few times. The issue went to court. 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