good talk

William Abb Cannon was born on August 8, 1937 in Philadephia, Mississippi, early in life his family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana so that his father could work in wartime industry. When Billy Cannon was a boy his father lost an arm in a machine and thereafter his mother was the main support of the family which lived in poverty on the wrong side of the tracks. Blessed with good size and great speed Billy Cannon became a high school All-American at Istrouma High School scoring 39 touchdowns as a senior. Although a very good student as well as a great athlete Billy Cannon was nonetheless "...Known as a thug, a punk..." and received a 90 day suspended sentence while still in high school for "rolling queers." They're so promiscuous that they'll go off with anybody, I used to have a friend from Atlanta who said that he had done this in his youth, he'd beat them up and then take their money, he said they didn't have much maybe $10. He seemed ashamed that he had done this, in Ohio I had never heard of this, maybe it's a Southern thing. Lusting for this home-grown product Louisiana State gave Billy's father a job as a janitor to ensure that his son would accept their scholarship. Becoming a protege of the renowned physical culturist, Alvin Roy, Billy Cannon grew bigger and faster each year until by the time he was a senior at LSU Billy Cannon could run a documented 100 yards in 9.4 seconds and heave the 16 pound shot 54 feet. A friend of mine and myself were wondering if there's anybody today in the world who can do the "Billy Cannon Double?" Having graduated from Istrouma High School in 1956, Billy Cannon was on the LSU freshman team in 1956 and on the varsity in 1957-1959 leading LSU to the National Championship in 1958 and winning the Heisman Trophy in 1959 in large part due to his 89 yard punt return for the game's only touchdown as LSU beat Ole Miss 7-3. The Houston Oilers of the AFL outbid the NFL for Billy Cannon who at 6'1" and 210 pounds led the AFL in rushing in 1961. Hurting his back his skills declined somewhat and although still a very good running back he was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1964 and turned into a tight end where he was also quite good. Billy Cannon was to play in the AFL for 10 years and he scored 64 touchdowns. Billy went to school in the offseasons and sharp with the books he became an orthodontist. Setting up his practice in Baton Rouge Billy was making $300,000 a year as everybody wanted their hero touching their teeth. But Billy's malevolent side emerged and despite his big income he needed much more money due to bad investments and gambling debts. Billy Cannon became the ringleader of the 7th largest counterfeiting operation in the history of this country printing out $50 million in hundred dollar bills from 1981 to 1983. Sentenced to 5 years in prison Billy served half of that at the federal prison at Texarkana and was released to a halfway house in 1985 and free in 1986. Billy's once thriving practice was kaput as he was regarded as a pariah, nobody would go to him who is still the only player in Louisiana State Football's storied history to have his number (22) retired. Billy Cannon was able to salvage his life and is the longtime dentist at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola.