LSU football legend Billy Cannon is getting a new statue on campus
By Andrew Olson
Published:
LSU announced Thursday that the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee has unanimously approved a proposal to erect a statue honoring football legend Dr. Billy Cannon on campus.
“There is no player more synonymous with LSU football than Billy Cannon,” , LSU faculty athletics representative and Athletic Hall of Fame Committee Chair Bill Demastes said in a release. “His ability on a football field made him a legend and the decision to honor him as such was unanimous.”
A Baton Rouge native and 1959 LSU graduate, Cannon was the winner of the 1959 Heisman Trophy as a halfback, and he led the Tigers to the 1958 national championship.
In his three-year career from 1957-59, Cannon rushed for 1,867 yards on 359 carries and scored 24 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 31 passes for 522 yards and two touchdowns. Cannon returned 31 punts for 349 yards and 21 kickoffs for 616 yards in his career, punted 111 times for an average of 36.7 yards a punt and intercepted seven passes. He also completed 12 of 26 pass attempts for 121 yards. A two-way player, he was also a defensive standout, starting on both offense and defense as a sophomore in 1957.
“Billy is among the most heralded and identifiable college football players in NCAA history, and is largely responsible for the emergence of big-time football at LSU,” said vice chancellor and director of athletics Joe Alleva. “I also believe his commitment to rebuild and dedicate his life in service to his family, the community and the university he loves is admirable. He’s a very human hero and LSU’s most renowned.”
Cannon, who had his LSU jersey No. 20 retired by the university in 1959, played 11 years in professional football, the first 10 in the American Football League, helping lead the Houston Oilers to the AFL title in 1961 and 1962. He was inducted into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
