I'd completely forgotten about Cannon Jr as a LB for the Ags until I read No Experience Required

What happened to him in the NFL? All I was able to find was that he played 8 games for the Cowboys his rookie year and that was it.

Anybody have any details?

I believe he had a neck injury.

He got a neck/head injury that put him out of football. Too bad.

Cannon was not as bulky as some LBs today, but he could sure hit. He decked a TCU player just before halftime right in front of me one time when he played safety. It was every bit as hard as "the hit" that Coryatt made. After an initial roar of seeing one of the "enemy" being dislocated from the ball, the crowd went silent for about ten minutes until the guy woke up. To his credit, the TCU player played in the second half.

Some kind of back or spinal cord injury, he was advised not to play again.

I thought Jackie has said in the past that he was going to write a "tell all" type of book once he retired. He's eluded to the fact that there are all sorts of things that went on surrounding the blow up at A&M that most people aren't privy to. Lots of unknown culprits and players that had a hand in things.

What's the latest on his intentions to write this? Anyone know?

Neck injury, ouch. Thx for the info.

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I thought Jackie has said in the past that he was going to write a "tell all" type of book once he retired. He's eluded to the fact that there are all sorts of things that went on surrounding the blow up at A&M that most people aren't privy to. Lots of unknown culprits and players that had a hand in things.

What's the latest on his intentions to write this? Anyone know?

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If he did that it would run counter of what he said in No Experience Required so I kinda doubt we'll see a book like that.

Mr. Cannon Jr. was quite the "loose cannon", pun intended. Not someone I wanted to be around when out and about in town or on campus. I personally had a near run in with him that he tried to instigate, but I didn't bite (I didn't want to wind up in a hospital). I'm sure there are others who were at A&M at the time that can attest to this.

His Dad was awesome too.

Yeah, wasn't his dad in prison or something?

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Yeah, wasn't his dad in prison or something?

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Counterfeiting, or fraud I think.

I wonder what kind of recruiting story there is behind the son of the "God" of LSU football going to A&M instead of Baton Rouge?

[This message has been edited by Mr D (edited 12/11/2008 11:08a).]

His dad went to jail for counterfeiting.

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He's eluded to the fact...

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Maybe that's what the problem is, Jackie is eluding a tell-all story.


I'll file this with the Devendorf story where one basketball team member texted the victim that Devendorf was "animate" about wanting to apologize.

cannon was also on the aggie baseball team

and he never met a curve ball he could hit.
His dad told every pro team not to draft him cuz his son would only play for the Yankees. I remember that his girlfriend was also on scholarship. Jr was a good guy.

Did he tell Jobu to go **** himself?

I was at A&M when Jr. was there....

there was a story going around that he was in Huntsville one evening, and was ordering something at a drive-thru (Jack in the Box, I believe)....and when he pulled up to the window, the guy helping made some crack about his dad in prison (or something), and Jr. proceeded to pull the guy thru the drive-thru window and beat the crap out of him.....

don't know if any of this is true, but a great story, nonetheless......

Roid rage?

The story I heard was similar in that it was a fast food restaurant in Huntsville, but Jr. tossed a guy through a window, shattering it in the process. Didn't know what started it, but it probably didn't have to be something quite as provoking as in your recollection. This was more than just something going around the gossip wheel; I recall it being reported in the local press.

IMO Billy, Jr. was one of the most overhyped recruits we've ever had. I went to every game the Ags played during his tenure and cannot recall a single incident (on the field) that made him standout. According to our Press gGe he could run a 4.4 forty. If so, some of our opponents had some very swift lads. Every punt return he'd run 40 or 50 yds. east/west with a net gains seldom exceeding 5 yds. He did sustain a career ending injury while with the Cowboys. I believe they acknowledged having made a mistake taking him in the first round.

Billy, Sr. was recently voted into the College Football Hall of Fame and is working for the Louisiana Dept. of Corrections as a dentist (of sorts).

I thought he had an injury, and they discovered something about his neck/spine that he had all along, which the docs told him could get injured and potentialy paralyze him. At least that's what I remember.

LSU just retired Cannon Sr.'s number. As I recall, he kept a pretty low profile after the arrest and wasn't exactly welcomed around campus for a long time. Might have had something to do w/ Jr. leaving the state to play.

I've heard that the Cowboys drafted him in the 1st round so that Gil Brandt could score points w/new boss Bum Bright. BTW, Cannon was the 1st Aggie ever drafted by the Cowboys.

Billy Cannon Jr was a great talent. He started out his A&M career as an A&M WR, but moved across the line his Jr year as a safety. He was a headhunter and I can still remember the hit that he gave that TCU WR on the last play of the half. I heard it clearly from my view from the 3rd deck. To this day, I have never heard a hit resonate thru Kyle Field like that one did.

BC II was a very good baseball player, as well, and was scrutinized because his dad let all MLB teams know that he would play for no other teams than the Yankees. Situation similar to John Elway.

After all was said and done, he never played professional baseball nor professional football because of a neck injury that forced him to retire from the Cowboys during pre-season of his rookie campaign.

Anyone know what he is up to these days?

Not a rumor - Cannon and a teammate were in a bar in Huntsville and got into a fight (that Billy aggravate, if not started, I was never given this part of the story). Cannon busted the lip of a professional saxaphone player.

His teammate was a classmate of mine in HS. Nuff said - this forum has ears

BTW, Cannon laid a hit on a TCU player, I think a receiver, at the end of the first half of our game with them in 1980. Until Coryatt's hit (or was it Buckley ) a few years later, that was the most vicious hit I'd ever seen in a game.

It seems like the TCU guy's name was Wheatley or something like that. Anyone else remember that? It's probably the only hit I ever called in football - looked to my friend and said "they're going to throw up a desperation pass, better not throw in front of Cannon." One moment of glory.

I was in the Navy with Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash was in the AF.

Cannon Sr is indeed a dentist at the La State Pen. This is not, however, where he went to prison. He was convicted of counterfeiting and spent his time in a federal pen. For some reason he was counterfeiting $1 bills. I have never heard of any other counterfeiter doing it with $1 bills.

Oh well, he was from LSU. I don't expect too much in the brain dept from those guy.

About 10 years ago, he was trying to sell his Heisman Trophy for $40,000.00 and I believe he did.

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Mr. Cannon Jr. was quite the "loose cannon", pun intended. Not someone I wanted to be around when out and about in town or on campus. I personally had a near run in with him that he tried to instigate, but I didn't bite (I didn't want to wind up in a hospital). I'm sure there are others who were at A&M at the time that can attest to this.

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a lot (but certainly not all) of aggie football players in the the mid-80's were thugs...but they won...i recall several instances in the chicken back in the day.

and jr definitely put more priority in breaking up receivers than breaking up passes back in the secondary...gave up many a long catch while delivering a big hit.

[This message has been edited by JT (edited 12/11/2008 8:31p).]

The hit on the TCU receiver was NOT in '80...it was 82 or 83. It was retaliation for the TCU WR busting up the knee of an A&M player on an illegal crackback block the year before. (Smith?)
It was the most vicious hit I'd ever seen before "The Hit"
Cannon was NOT a mistake pick by the Cowboys either...he'd worked his way into the rotation at OLB, if not starting, before he messed up his neck. Seemed like a nice enough guy the few times I was around him....

Burbank, good call - it was in '82. The game wasn't close and we only won that '80 game by less than a TD. In fact in '82 it was out of reach by the time that pass play at the end of the half was called.

It's funny, until you mentioned the crackback blocking I couldn't remember why I made the call in the stands to not throw in front of Cannon. I've always wondered why I thought that at the time...your explanation makes perfect sense.

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Every punt return he'd run 40 or 50 yds. east/west with a net gains seldom exceeding 5 yds.

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He ran at least one punt/kickoff back for a TD. I was at that game but couldn't begin to tell you who it was we were playing against...

OK oldtimers, Jr. used to frequent the "Sound Machine" disco in Huntsville. He popped off in the "Jack in the Box" across the street one night and got his clock cleaned by about 20 Bearkats before local yokel took him back to aggieland. Guy was a jerk.

Mr. D is that how you spell Sherrill?


Dang it I've been spelling it wrong all these years.