re: Cannon's run question...

Are you comparing Hester's and Cannon's speed, skills, athleticism? Which is it?

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The whole package. If Hester could start and rush for over 1000 yds in season only 3 years ago, what makes someone think Cannon couldn't?

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That's a good point. I may have to rethink my position. It is hard to separate the legend of Cannon from the way the game is played today. However, certainly Cannon had equivalent straight line speed (maybe better) and acceleration (maybe better) than Hester. Hester did carry more weight and Cannon was a little taller, and was probably more athletic in the open field. Cannon was almost certainly a better receiver.

Good point - maybe Cannon could be a 1000 yard rusher today - (I still don't think he's All American or a Heisman candidate today - sorry.)

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Antonio Moss is a retard and fondles his own balls. Chances are he never put on a football uniform and would get his arse kicked by a 65 year old man who grew up in that era. No one with half a brain would make the type of arguments that he is making.

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Come on,man. Read his posts thoroughly on the subject. He's made it clear he respects the man's abilities and contributions. Evidently Antonio is a fan of T&F/Olympic Sports and is versed in running history. He's just trying to measure Cannon's speed in '58-'59 time vs today.

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So what's more likely - Cannon was in the running for second fastest 100 yard dash time in recorded history or, while being fast as all hell, may have received a little bump by the guy operating the stop watch?

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Antonio, man, it's not that complicated. Hand timing, as you say, varied in quality and did depend on the skill of the timer and the accuracy of the watch. The fastest guys in the world were running 9.3s until 1962. The next fastest group of guys were, therefore in the 9.4s. Frank Budd scored the first non-wind assisted 9.2 in 1962 (A true, world class sprinter, who also played football - Frank was also big, 180 to 190 pounds).

Whether Mel Patton ran a 9.285 or a 9.372 is purely a matter of conjecture today. If Cannon, and other collegiate sprinters were getting 9.4s (which I admit, may have actually been 9.38 up to almost 9.5) in 1958, 1959, 1960 - that should not be shocking. Likewise, it should not be shocking that the SEC 100 yard champ could have a run among the faster times for that year. He didn't make the Olympic team for 1960 and I'm not sure he even tried as a pro football player. Even if his time was very close to 9.5 and had a "thumb-assisted" 9.4, HE WAS 210 POUNDS. Jesse Owens (widely regarded as the fastest man in the world) was running 9.4s at 165 pounds, 20 years prior. Mel Patton ran at about 160 pounds. Trindon was a giant compared to Percy Williams who ran at 123 pounds. Ralph Metcalfe was a big boy, at 181 pounds. I couldn't find a quoted weight on Harold Davis, but he wasn't very big.

Heck Carl Lewis was only 180 pounds and he was 6'2" and change. Cannon was maybe 6'1" and ran at well over 200 pounds and played football in the 205 to 208 range.

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My "complete and utter bullshite" comment was when I thought Otto was alleging that Cannon ran a 9.6 100 meter dash.

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Of course. I recognized you crossed up "y" with "m" - I sometimes have to do a double take on those times.

I may stand corrected regarding heavy rain during the 1959 LSU-Ole Miss game. Memory: I used to come up to Baton Rouge from LSU medical school in New Orleans then and, of course sit in the student section. Perhaps the heavy rain was at another game that season. You know, offical weather records can be checked to be sure.
LSU was known, on occasion, to water the field all night before a game if they thought it would help them slow down the other team the next day. See reports of LSU - North Carolina game 1949 I think. North Carolina complained to NCAA. LSU upset them 13 to 7. History sometimes is 'his' story. That, is very individually perceived, although some parts of it can be verified.

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He ran a 10 flat 100 often, and a couple of times 9.6 which was world class at the time.

The field was muddy.

he was covered in mud.

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THIS IS CORRECT! He was VERY fast and was extremely strong. You look at his size today. It is all well documented.

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The real question is whether Cannon could have thrown a football over them mountains.

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STFU

I got side tracked thinking of the glorious moment........a lot of you do not remember what the uniform weighed at that time(helmet, shoes pads)along with the turf that was played on. All I have to say is that Billy Cannon was the real deal and if he played today he would be the same.

I've read comments questioning how fast Billy Cannon really was and wondering how he would compare to today's running backs. Some have said he looked slow in the old film of his famous "run" against Ole Miss. So, if I may, let me recount some things I know first hand about him.

I saw Billy make his 89 yard run on that Halloween night in 1959. LSU was ranked #1 in the nation with Ole Miss not far behind. He caught the ball in front of our seats on the east side and ran from south to north, near the east sideline. The reasons he looks slow today on film have to do with the quality and editing of the old film, a sloppy, wet field and the fact that it was very late in the game. Billy had played both ways, offense and defense, and undoubtable was exhausted by this time in the game. Another fact not widely remembered is that after his touchdown, Ole Miss drove to LSU's goal line with first and goal, time running out. Cannon, playing defensive back, assisted in tackles that were responsible for stopping them from scoring on four downs to seal the win.

Billy Cannon also punted for a career average of over a 40 yards, returned punts and kickoffs, kicked extra points and even passed for a touchdown to win the 1959 Sugar Bowl.

I was on LSU's track team shortly after Cannon graduated. His fastest time in the 100 yard dash was 9.4 seconds, only one-tenth of a second off the world record at the time. LSU's cinder track in that day was excellent, but still slower than today's artificial surfaces. In SEC championships Cannon won the 100 yard dash, anchored LSU's winning 440 yard relay team and won the shot put. How many shot put champions today could run the 100 meters only one-tenth second off the world record?

Former LSU track coach Boots Garland has been quoted as saying that he never saw another athlete who combined such strength and speed.

Without a doubt Billy Cannon would be an outstanding running back even today. He could have run with anyone on the current LSU football team. A fine writeup about him is at the link below. Notice in the photo of his "run" how wet the field was that night.

LINK