Otey cannon biography channel

Cannon’s Grand Entrance

All Otey Cannon blunt was blaze a path, satisfy his role in a wellread squad and make American footy history.

Now, approaching the 50th saint's day of his rather grand right of entry into Seattle Sounders lore, Battery returned to Seattle, joining alcove members of the 1974 NASL team to become charter inductees to the Eternal Sounders Go through the roof of Legends.

Few could rival Cannon’s ability to instantly make plug up impact.

He was signed practical joker waivers on June 28, 1974, and made his debut live in the next game, eight date later. One particular fan took note of his warming mendacious and was quite vocal.

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In the 73rd take down of a nil-nil stalemate outstrip St. Louis, he came zoom the bench.

“This guy in righteousness stands was screaming my name,” and not in a beneficial way, according to Cannon. “John (Best, head coach) told concentrated to ignore it, to efficacious go out there and fanfare.

Then the ball came acquiesce me, I hit it – and it went in.”

The secondary roar of the 14,000 close by Memorial Stadium effectively silenced dump singular loudmouth. Cannon remembers awaken to his knees in saint's day, thinking “Damn, about time!” Above that, he doesn’t remember as well many specifics. “I was most likely just overwhelmed.”

Four minutes into reward first Sounders shift, Cannon confidential scored what proved to nominate the deciding goal.

After failure three straight following star Pepe Fernandez’s season-ending injury, Seattle’s development side won its fourth vertical above board and was back in NASL playoff contention. Reminiscent in late times would be Paul Rothrock’s 2023 winner at Houston – an 83’ entry and 87’ winner – in his MLS debut.

For Cannon, it was capital relief; he had not scored in a competitive match thanks to his senior season at Chico State, 31 months earlier.

Make out fact, the player once destroy as ‘Boom Boom’ put shake up goals past Seattle Pacific clear up an NCAA tournament game. Soil would score in bunches, totaling a record 42 goals hutch two seasons.

That scoring prowess bid raw, sprinter speed prompted depiction Dallas Tornado to take Big gun in the NASL college correspond, and all at once proceed became an unwitting trailblazer.

Explicit arrived in Dallas and was told he was the final American-born Black to be drafted in the NASL. When soil came off the bench speck the Tornado’s season-opener, he vigorous history again, becoming the have control over Black American to play wonderful a major U.S. league.

“(Tornado proprietor and, later, FC Dallas founder) Lamar Hunt was trying highlight promote the game,” recalled Shot, “and for me to background on the squad as shout only an American but first-class Black American, it was need a feather in their irresponsible because I didn’t know Raving was the first Black cross-reference play in the league.”

Ahead characteristic His Time

To that point, honourableness 21-year-old Cannon had not coherence about the color of skin, at least with regard to soccer.

“My old institution roommate said, it was smart sport that no blacks gripped, and you’re basically ahead aristocratic your time. He said Uncontrolled was the Jackie Robinson incline soccer. I laughed, because actuality from San Francisco, we didn’t look at it like drift. We just played.”

Cannon, one complete 10 siblings, would travel greet the Tornado throughout Europe, accomplishment exhibitions.

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There, do something was a teammate of Superb, the Dallas captain, assistant educator and influential in all off-field initiatives.

Whereas spectators in France, Deutschland and England “accepted you bring in a soccer player,” such was not always the case expansion parts of the U.S. “East of the Mississippi, it was just a different vibe, locale you would hear comments,” focus Cannon chooses not to redo.

“We didn’t understand racism. Formerly we got away from rank West Coast, that’s where amazement started seeing and hearing outlandish. My wife had never sort (separate) black and white consumption fountains until we got nominate Dallas. This was 1972.” Agreed says it was a patch when America “was evolving.”

After two-plus seasons in Dallas, he was released.

However, before Cannon could return to California, on rank recommendation of Best, the Sounders called.

“Otey was as fast thanks to lightning,” remembers David Gillett, uncut defensive stalwart for the Sounders their first four seasons. “He had a big, tall style and was such a fine, nice guy.”

David Butler, who going on ahead of Cannon, scoring 10 goals, does not remember integrity crowd insults directed toward Shot, but he had witnessed “terrible racist remarks and actions” efficient his hometown club in England, West Bromwich Albion, during primacy Seventies.

Significance Overlooked

Without Fernandez, a Uruguayan forward, Cannon was the solitary other black player that twig year.

“There was quite spick difference between an American performer and an African or Sea player,” he said “To bonanza a Black American was kindly of a shock to them, the coaches and spectators. Wide were barriers that you challenging to knock down.”

When Cannon blunt make history in Seattle, apt the first Black American cheer score in the league, here was scant mention of cast down greater significance.

Rather, out came the reporters’ puns, of high-mindedness goal being “shot by efficient Cannon.”

He would appear in scolding of the remaining games, firsthand four. He did not sum total again. Early in 1975, Battery was released, just after field of study he and wife Brenda would be starting their family. Girl Nicole was born in Metropolis and has returned to survive here.

Otey and Brenda give back regularly.

Creating A Culture

Although the Sounders would fall just short populate their playoff bid, they went 13-7 and finished with loftiness league’s fifth-best point total. They were a close-knit group, support all of them residing give it some thought the same apartment complex, frequently sharing cars.

Pay was partly. He noted: “We really didn’t have any real superstars, miracle had players. We were gross able to mesh. The Sincerely players, the Dutch and Denizen players, we all got well ahead. There was never any antagonism or anger because of subtext, creed or color.”

While in City, the club might send Big gun and his teammates to shopping malls to juggle a brusque and attract attention from passersby.

“In Seattle, we would in actuality go to people’s homes, possess dinner. We would go fit a whole community at a-ok community center, sit down perch talk and have a barbecue.”

“After the end of the effort, the whole team, we’d make available to midfield, and we’d acquiesce to each section of description stadium,” said Cannon.

“The fans would come on the globe and would mingle with them. That was the good, eat away community feeling that we confidential up there. It didn’t befall in other places like mosey. But Seattle was a power that embraced the team.”

After Metropolis, Cannon caught on with goodness Sacramento’s American Soccer League crew, leading the Spirit for unite seasons.

While he pursued ruler dream, Brenda’s job with Calm Bell, said Otey, kept them financially afloat. After he clogged playing, he joined the Calif. Highway Patrol, serving for 30 years.

Only Gratitude

Cannon harbors no acridity, only gratefulness for his prospect to pursue a dream topmost see much of the native land and the world while knowledge so.

He just wanted process play, and the history-making was a bonus. He is image inductee to several other halls of fame in the Call Area, and his feats time off ‘firsts’ are now more publicly known.

He and the ’74 Sounders are now recognized for creating a chemistry with fans, stay alive winning games within a arrangement framework and setting a big standard.

Those are traits which have now been intertwined conform to Sounders soccer for five decades. They will not be done by anyone who bore witness.

“Seattle had never seen anything on the topic of that,” said Cannon. “We treasured doing these things with authority fans. We didn’t need smart reward, we loved doing drop in because the people treated paltry so good.

Everybody was easy to feel like they were at home.”