Billy Cannon
A Heisman-winning LSU hero whose electrifying Halloween punt return became college football folklore, followed by a complex professional journey.
1937–2018 (age 81)·American football player·Birthday: August 2·The Silent Generation
Biography
Billy Cannon's legacy is a powerful American saga of peak athletic glory shadowed by controversy. At Louisiana State University, he was a force of nature—a powerful running back, a devastating safety, and a peerless return man who led the Tigers to the 1958 national championship. His legend was cemented on Halloween night 1959, when he fielded an Ole Miss punt at his own 11-yard line, broke seven tackles, and raced 89 yards for a game-winning touchdown in the final minutes, a play eternally replayed in the South. He won the Heisman Trophy that year, the epitome of the college football star. His professional career, however, was a tale of two leagues: he signed simultaneous contracts with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and the fledgling AFL's Houston Oilers, a legal battle that ended with him joining the Oilers, where he won two AFL championships. Later convictions for counterfeiting and his work as a dentist at Angola prison added profound, complicated layers to his story, making him a figure of both adulation and scrutiny.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Billy was born in 1937, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Billy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1937
#1 Movie
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Best Picture
The Life of Emile Zola
Billy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1937Born
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1942Started school
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1950Became a teenager
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Could drive
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1955Could vote
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Turned 21
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1967Turned 30
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 40
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 50
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 60
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 70
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 80
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2018Died at 81
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Won the Heisman Trophy in 1959 as the nation's most outstanding college football player while at LSU.
- Executed the legendary 89-yard punt return for a touchdown to defeat Ole Miss on Halloween night, 1959.
- Helped lead the LSU Tigers to the 1958 national championship as a two-way star.
- Won two AFL championships (1960, 1961) with the Houston Oilers as a running back and tight end.
Did You Know?
He earned a degree in dentistry from the University of Tennessee while playing for the Oilers.
After his release from prison for a counterfeiting conviction, he worked as a dentist at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola).
His son, Billy Cannon Jr., was also an All-American linebacker at LSU and a first-round NFL draft pick.
The famous Halloween punt return was the only touchdown scored in LSU's 7-3 victory over Ole Miss.
“That punt return against Ole Miss is something they'll talk about forever.”
