BATON ROUGE – Billy Cannon’s name, his image and his remarkable athletic career serve as emblems for LSU, the Southeastern Conference and college football. LSU’s only Heisman Trophy winner, Cannon led the Tigers to a national championship in 1958, igniting a love of the game in Louisiana and establishing a tradition of greatness at LSU.
But like many stories of lionized athletes who rise to the status of legend, there was a fall – and in the case of Cannon – also redemption. For the first time, Charles N. deGravelles reveals in full the thrilling highs and unexpected lows of Cannon’s life in “Billy Cannon: A Long, Long Run,” available just in time for football season from LSU Press.