John Cannady

Who was John Cannady?

John Hanley Cannady was an American football linebacker in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He played college football at Indiana University and was drafted in the third round of the 1947 NFL Draft.The first professional football player from Charleston SC, known as "Big John" he was the New York Giants second round draft pick in 1947 and played from 1947 to 1954. A teammate of Frank Gifford from 1952 to 1954, Big John was a member of the New York Giants’ 1950 team that finished with a 10-2 record and tied for first place in the American Conference. He played in the league’s Pro Bowl game in 1950 and 1952. He played the first NFL Pro Bowl and was twice named All-Pro in 1951 and 1955. He was voted the most outstanding player in the NFL in 1951. Big John was a member of the National Football League Players Association, and Indiana University Members Association. He was named to the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991, and to the Post and Courier’s list of South Carolina’s 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century.