BATON ROUGE – Former LSU greats Billy Cannon and Tommy Casanova will be on hand to greet fans and sign autographs Saturday morning at The Cook Hotel and Conference Center at LSU and Andonie Museum.
In conjunction with No. 5 LSU’s home final with Ole Miss on Saturday in Tiger Stadium, the Jack & Priscilla Andonie Museum welcomes these former All-Americans as part of a full slate of activities on Saturday.
Cannon, the 1959 Heisman Trophy winner, will sign autographs in the lobby of The Cook Hotel from 9-10:30 a.m.
Casanova will visit with fans and sign autographs at the museum from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Posters will be available for $2 for this former LSU All-American to personalize. Fans are limited to two items signed per person.
Cannon starred in the LSU backfield from 1957-59 earning All-American honors in 1958 and 1959. The Baton Rouge native was the driving force behind the Tigers run to the 1958 national championship. A year later, Cannon logged the greatest play in LSU history returning a punt 89 yards for a touchdown in a 7-3 win over Ole Miss. He went on to claim the 1959 Heisman Trophy. Cannon was the first overall pick in the 1960 NFL Draft and went on to a 10-year professional career. In 2009, Cannon was inducted into the College Football hall of Fame.
Casanova is class all his own in the history of LSU football. The only three-time, first team, All-American in LSU history, Casanova starred at running back, punt returner, kick returner, and defensive back from 1969-71. In 1972, Casanova was drafted in Round 2, pick 29 by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played safety for the Bengals from 1972 to 1977, being selected to the Pro Bowl in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. Casanova was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2009, Casanova’s No. 37 was retired and now is forever enshrined in Tiger Stadium.
The Jack & Priscilla Andonie Museum is located at 3828 West Lakeshore Drive. Home to more than 13,000 artifacts donated by Dr. Jack Andonie, the museum was constructed and opened in 2004. The museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m. until three hours prior to kickoff on Saturday of home game weekends.
The Cook Hotel & Conference Center at LSU is located at 3838 West Lakeshore Drive.