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Billy Cannon
Posted on 2/14/26 at 11:23 pm
Posted on 2/14/26 at 11:23 pm
First, I did not know he was from Philadelphia, MS. Amazing how many players have come from the sip. Rice, Walter Peyton.. Favre.
Secondly, I was reading an article about his pardon, and his football career, and it mentioned him running a 9.4 100m dash. I mean, huh? Bolt held the world record at one time at 9.14. I know it’s a half a second, but holy smokes that white boy was fast. Tyreek Hills is 10.1 and Metkalf is 10.6. It stated his 40 yard dash was a 4.1.
I wonder if he’ll ever get elected into the NFL HOF? His stats in the NFL were impressive.
3× AFL champion (1960, 1961, 1967)
2× AFL Championship MVP (1960, 1961)
2× First-team All-AFL (1961, 1967)
2× Second-team All-AFL (1960, 1968)
2× AFL All-Star (1961, 1969)
AFL rushing yards leader (1961)
Secondly, I was reading an article about his pardon, and his football career, and it mentioned him running a 9.4 100m dash. I mean, huh? Bolt held the world record at one time at 9.14. I know it’s a half a second, but holy smokes that white boy was fast. Tyreek Hills is 10.1 and Metkalf is 10.6. It stated his 40 yard dash was a 4.1.
I wonder if he’ll ever get elected into the NFL HOF? His stats in the NFL were impressive.
3× AFL champion (1960, 1961, 1967)
2× AFL Championship MVP (1960, 1961)
2× First-team All-AFL (1961, 1967)
2× Second-team All-AFL (1960, 1968)
2× AFL All-Star (1961, 1969)
AFL rushing yards leader (1961)
This post was edited on 2/14/26 at 11:25 pm
10
Posted on 2/14/26 at 11:27 pm to RTRnFlorida
They ran the 100 yard dash back then brother. Only 91 meters. And I am sure it was hand timed.
Still very fast.
Still very fast.
This post was edited on 2/14/26 at 11:30 pm
Posted on 2/14/26 at 11:30 pm to bigDgator
So, basically 9 more yards, which means, he would still be the fastest in the NFL today.
Posted on 2/14/26 at 11:34 pm to RTRnFlorida
quote:
So, basically 9 more yards, which means, he would still be the fastest in the NFL today.
Sprinters run 109 yards these days, so the times are slower than when folks ran 100 yards back in the day, but they are not slower.
Also Bolt never ran a 9.14
quote:
Usain Bolt holds the men's 100m world record at 9.58 seconds, set on August 16, 2009, at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin. He achieved this record with a tailwind of +0.9 m/s. This remains the fastest 100m time ever recorded, establishing him as the fastest man in history.
This post was edited on 2/14/26 at 11:38 pm
Posted on 2/14/26 at 11:34 pm to RTRnFlorida
Lots of fastest 100 yard dashers played football in late 50s/ early 60s.
This post was edited on 2/14/26 at 11:38 pm
Posted on 2/14/26 at 11:51 pm to RTRnFlorida
Should be in NFL HOF. His son, Billy Cannon Jr. was very fast also. Billy Cannon Jr. started as a Safety at A&M but got so big he moved to LB, but continued returning punts.
Billy Cannon Jr was the only LB in the history of the Southwest Conference who led the conference in punt return yardage.
Billy Cannon Jr was the only LB in the history of the Southwest Conference who led the conference in punt return yardage.
Posted on 2/14/26 at 11:52 pm to bigDgator
Missed that one about Bolt… but….
Assuming he maintained his average speed for the additional 8.56m you could multiply his 100-yard time by the distance ratio: and essentially he would run a 10.2 100m dash.
Either way, his 40 time at 4.1 is amazing.
Assuming he maintained his average speed for the additional 8.56m you could multiply his 100-yard time by the distance ratio: and essentially he would run a 10.2 100m dash.
Either way, his 40 time at 4.1 is amazing.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 12:05 am to RTRnFlorida
If I was from Philadelphia mississippi back in the day, I'd probably be pretty damn fast too. Gotta out run those knife wielding Choctaws.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 12:28 am to RTRnFlorida
quote:
First, I did not know he was from Philadelphia, MS. Amazing how many players have come from the sip. Rice, Walter Peyton.. Favre.
Born there yes, but his family moved to Baton Rouge when he was 4-5 years old.
quote:
Secondly, I was reading an article about his pardon, and his football career, and it mentioned him running a 9.4 100m dash. I mean, huh? Bolt held the world record at one time at 9.14. I know it’s a half a second, but holy smokes that white boy was fast.
Yeah he had the Louisiana state records in that and in the shot put. He ran track at LSU as well. He was a beast. 6’1” 210 was massive back then and would be a pretty decent sized back in today’s game
Posted on 2/15/26 at 2:51 am to RTRnFlorida
My grandpa told me he saw Billy Cannon chase down a calf by himself.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 4:27 am to ColoradoElkHerd
quote:Went to high school with him.
Billy Cannon Jr.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 5:28 am to RTRnFlorida
Billy lived 4 houses down from my grandmother's house. She owned 4.1 acres of land. Billy growing up would play football and baseball on her fields with my uncles and the neighborhoods boys.
He went to Istrouma High school with my aunts and Uncles and mother. I meet him many times over the years and many times visited his mother and father.
He was very fast; he got injured playing pro football and had to move to TE.
I still like his story about Tommy Davis; the team was outside Tiger stadium just after practice one night. Billy like normal bet the team wash money that Tommy could punt the football into the stadium from the street outside Tiger Studium into it. Tommy and Billy bet they could the rest of the team bet against the punt. Tommy made the punt.
He went to Istrouma High school with my aunts and Uncles and mother. I meet him many times over the years and many times visited his mother and father.
He was very fast; he got injured playing pro football and had to move to TE.
I still like his story about Tommy Davis; the team was outside Tiger stadium just after practice one night. Billy like normal bet the team wash money that Tommy could punt the football into the stadium from the street outside Tiger Studium into it. Tommy and Billy bet they could the rest of the team bet against the punt. Tommy made the punt.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 6:22 am to RTRnFlorida
quote:
Missed that one about Bolt… but….
Assuming he maintained his average speed for the additional 8.56m you could multiply his 100-yard time by the distance ratio: and essentially he would run a 10.2 100m dash.
Either way, his 40 time at 4.1 is amazing.
Everything was hand timed back then... 40 yard dash times were completely unreliable.
100 yard times were sometimes off as well. In big meets they would have several timers time first place to try and get a consensus.
I can't find any actual results for Billy Cannon.... but several sites says he won state in HS at 9.7 for the 100 yards. So 9.4 in college is certainly possible. AI says he was SEC champ in the 100y and National Champ in 1959.
However I can't find him listed in any NCAA championship results during the time he was at LSU.... and 9.4 performance should have put him in the finals in any of his years if he actually competed.
The Word Record in that era was 9.3/9.2... so 9.4 was easily World class speed. If he indeed ran a 9.4... He was one of the fastest guys in the world.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 6:32 am to RTRnFlorida
quote:
His stats in the NFL were impressive.
No, his stats in the AFL were impressive He onlly played 6 games in the NFL. But AFL stats are counted toward NFL HOF eligibility, so yes, he is certainly deserving.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 6:50 am to tigger1
quote:
Billy like normal bet the team wash money that Tommy could punt the football into the stadium from the street outside Tiger Studium into it. Tommy and Billy bet they could the rest of the team bet against the punt. Tommy made the punt.
When someone says, “I bet I can ______.”
They are not gambling- they know they can.
Do not take these bets.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 7:09 am to RTRnFlorida
One of the few if not any to make all pro at two different positions
Posted on 2/15/26 at 7:34 am to bigDgator
For some perspective on Billy Cannon speed.....9.4 college 100 yd. 9.7 HS time. He was fast for sure.
Bob Hayes set the world record in the 100-yard dash with a time of 9.1 seconds during the 1963 AAU Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. This performance marked the first time the 100-yard dash was run under 9.2 seconds and remained the world record for 11 years until it was broken by Ivory Crockett in 1974.
Robert "Bullet Bob" Hayes ran a 9.6 seconds 100-yard dash during his high school career at Matthew W. Gilbert High School in Jacksonville, Florida.
Bob Hayes set the world record in the 100-yard dash with a time of 9.1 seconds during the 1963 AAU Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. This performance marked the first time the 100-yard dash was run under 9.2 seconds and remained the world record for 11 years until it was broken by Ivory Crockett in 1974.
Robert "Bullet Bob" Hayes ran a 9.6 seconds 100-yard dash during his high school career at Matthew W. Gilbert High School in Jacksonville, Florida.
This post was edited on 2/15/26 at 7:57 am
Posted on 2/15/26 at 9:22 am to Victor R Franko
Something else not often mentioned is that in Billy’s junior season at LSU, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. That was LSU’s national championship season.
He then won the Heisman the next season, 1959, as a senior.
He then won the Heisman the next season, 1959, as a senior.
Posted on 2/15/26 at 12:39 pm to RTRnFlorida
I doubt that very many people in Philadelphia Mississippi knew what a meter was back then.
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