LSU Football Legend Billy Cannon Passes Away

LSU football legend Billy Cannon passed away Sunday morning. He was 80 years old.

Cannon went to high school at Istrouma in Baton Rouge.  He, of course, attended LSU where he played running back.  He was drafted as the number 1 pick in the first round by the Houston Oilers.

He won the most prestigious award in collegiate football, the Heisman Trophy, in 1959. Cannon is the only LSU player to ever win the award.

US Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said this about the LSU legend:

Others knew of Billy in their own way. I do in several. Growing up, my father would tell of taking my two oldest brothers to the famous LSU-Ole Miss football game. He was at the concession stand buying them popcorn when Billy ran the punt back to win the game. Dad always smiled telling that story.

Later in life, Dr. Billy Cannon treated patients at Angola. I ran a liver clinic there. We would eat lunch together and talk about life and football. In all my interactions with Billy, he was as fine a man as could be. Laura and I hope that great memories soon replace the family’s sense of loss and that they find comfort in the support of the many who loved Billy. - Bill Cassidy

Cannon, in recent years, was the director of the dental program for the Louisiana State Penitentiary system.  His friends said he had a huge heart and he would give free orthodontic work for his former teammates and friends.