Billy Cannon, a charismatic college and professional football hero whose world came crashing down when he went to prison for counterfeiting, died on Friday at his home in St. Francisville, La. He was 80.
His death was announced by Louisiana State University, where he had been an all-American halfback. The university did not specify the cause.
For much of Cannon’s life, he was a hero for the ages. When he won the 1959 Heisman Trophy as the nation’s outstanding college player — he remains Louisiana State’s only Heisman winner — it was presented by Richard M. Nixon, then the vice president.