1980 – The Yankees‚ with no picks in rounds one and two‚ select 18-year-old Billy Cannon Jr. with their 3rd round pick in the draft. After protests from at least two other teams‚ Bowie Kuhn rules that all the teams but the Yankees had been misled by a telegram sent by Bill Cannon‚ Sr.‚ saying his son was going to play football. A special draft (excluding the Yanks) in August is won by the Indians‚ who offer the young gun $275‚000. But Cannon elects to play football at Texas A&M. Following in the footsteps of his Heisman dad‚ Cannon will be the number 1 pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1984‚ but a neck injury curtails his career.

 

On June 4 1980 — 1980 – The Yankees‚ with no picks in rounds one and two‚ select 18-year-old Billy Cannon Jr. with their 3rd round pick in the draft. After protests from at least two other teams‚ Bowie Kuhn rules that all the teams but the Yankees had been misled by a telegram sent by Bill Cannon‚ Sr.‚ saying his son was going to play football. A special draft (excluding the Yanks) in August is won by the Indians‚ who offer the young gun $275‚000. But Cannon elects to play football at Texas A&M. Following in the footsteps of his Heisman dad‚ Cannon will be the number 1 pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1984‚ but a neck injury curtails his career.

 

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Sources:

Baseball Reference June 4

SABR Games Project

National Pastime June 4

Hall of Fame

Replay The Game

Retro Sheet

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