SWC75
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BILLY CANNON (August 2, 1937 – May 20, 2018) 6-1 207 halfback and tight end
Billy Cannon was the OJ Simpson of the 50’s. He was a big halfback for the time but had blazing speed, (a 9.6 hundred yard dash, which is what they used in those days. He won a national championship and a Heisman Trophy at LSU. He certainly wasn’t rejected by the NFL. In fact he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams general manager Pete Rozelle to what was then a lucrative contract. Then he turned around and signed another lucrative contract with Bud Adams, the oilman who owned the AFL’s Houston Oilers. The fact that Adams threw in a Cadillac for Billy’s father seems to have clinched the deal. The Rams filed suit and a judge threw out both contracts, saying that the two teams were “taking advantage of Cannon’s naïvete”. After that Cannon signed with the Oilers, become pro football’s first $100,000 player and the gem of the new league.
He totally fulfilled expectations, leading the Oiler’s championship team in rushing and caching a 88 yard pass that helped them beat the Chargers in the championship game. In his second year, he led the league in rushing with 948 yards at 4.7 a crack while catching 43 passes for 586 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns as the Oilers won another title. Those are the numbers of a modern star running back and he might be regarded as one of the first of the moderns, being an equal threat as a running back and pass receiver.
He hurt his back in 1962 and that and subsequent leg injuries slowed his career after that and he was never able to duplicate his early heroics. He was traded to the Raiders in 1964 and in 1965 he was moved over to tight end. In 1967 he caught 32 of Daryle Lamonica’s passes for 629 yards, a whopping 19.7 average and 10TDs. He remained on their roster through 1969 and then retired, only to be offered a job by hank Stram of the Chiefs. He finally became an NFL player for one year with the Chiefs and then retired to a career in dentistry.
He had a successful practice but also a gambling habit and some bad investments. In 1983 he was arrested as part of a counterfeiting scheme and served 2 ½ years in prison. He had a hard time resuming his practice so he got a job as a prison dentist. He’s in part the basis for the character played by Dennis Quaid in the film “Everybody’s All-American”.
Billy's big play in the championship game comes at the 20:50 mark.
Billy Cannon was the OJ Simpson of the 50’s. He was a big halfback for the time but had blazing speed, (a 9.6 hundred yard dash, which is what they used in those days. He won a national championship and a Heisman Trophy at LSU. He certainly wasn’t rejected by the NFL. In fact he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams general manager Pete Rozelle to what was then a lucrative contract. Then he turned around and signed another lucrative contract with Bud Adams, the oilman who owned the AFL’s Houston Oilers. The fact that Adams threw in a Cadillac for Billy’s father seems to have clinched the deal. The Rams filed suit and a judge threw out both contracts, saying that the two teams were “taking advantage of Cannon’s naïvete”. After that Cannon signed with the Oilers, become pro football’s first $100,000 player and the gem of the new league.
He totally fulfilled expectations, leading the Oiler’s championship team in rushing and caching a 88 yard pass that helped them beat the Chargers in the championship game. In his second year, he led the league in rushing with 948 yards at 4.7 a crack while catching 43 passes for 586 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns as the Oilers won another title. Those are the numbers of a modern star running back and he might be regarded as one of the first of the moderns, being an equal threat as a running back and pass receiver.
He hurt his back in 1962 and that and subsequent leg injuries slowed his career after that and he was never able to duplicate his early heroics. He was traded to the Raiders in 1964 and in 1965 he was moved over to tight end. In 1967 he caught 32 of Daryle Lamonica’s passes for 629 yards, a whopping 19.7 average and 10TDs. He remained on their roster through 1969 and then retired, only to be offered a job by hank Stram of the Chiefs. He finally became an NFL player for one year with the Chiefs and then retired to a career in dentistry.
He had a successful practice but also a gambling habit and some bad investments. In 1983 he was arrested as part of a counterfeiting scheme and served 2 ½ years in prison. He had a hard time resuming his practice so he got a job as a prison dentist. He’s in part the basis for the character played by Dennis Quaid in the film “Everybody’s All-American”.
Billy's big play in the championship game comes at the 20:50 mark.
