Eric Cannon (born March 2, 1967) is an American former track and field athlete. He is considered one of the greatest hurdlers in Delaware history.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | March 2, 1967 | ||||||||||||||
| Home town | Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||
| Event | Hurdling | ||||||||||||||
| College team | Pittsburgh | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editCannon was born on March 2, 1967, and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware.[1][2] He attended Concord High School for one year before transferring to Delcastle Technical High School for his last three years.[3] There, he was a football player (at halfback) and standout track and field athlete, specializing in the hurdles.[3][4] As a sophomore in 1983, Cannon started setting school records (including a 7.46-second 60 metres hurdles run which was fifth-best nationally)[5] and won the state championship in the 110 metres hurdles.[6][7][8]
The following year, Cannon repeated as state champion in the 110 metres hurdles, while also being the state champion in the 55 metres hurdles and 50-yard dash.[6] At the start of 1985, he set a meet record in the 50-yard hurdles.[9] He then won the state championships in the 110 metres hurdles, 55 metres hurdles, 50-yard dash and 100 metres.[6] He competed at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships where he won the 55 metres hurdles and set a Delaware record that lasted for 35 years.[10] He also set a state record in the 110 metres hurdles that stood for 34 years.[10] He was widely reported to be among the best track and field athletes in state history, and The News Journal called him Delaware's "greatest high hurdler".[10][11][12]
Cannon accepted a full athletic scholarship to compete at the collegiate level for the Pittsburgh Panthers.[13] As a freshman in 1986, Cannon was an All-American, set the Pittsburgh record for 50-yard hurdles, and was named All-Big East Conference.[14] In his time at Pittsburgh, Cannon received six All-America selections, twice was a Big East champion and IC4A champion, and set four records still standing as of 2024.[12] He led Pittsburgh to its first Big East track title in 1989, with Cannon placing first in two events.[12][15] He won the 1989 Penn Relays in the 110 metres hurdles and came .02 seconds away from winning the national championship (placing second), running what was then the third-fastest time ever among college athletes in the U.S.[12]
After Cannon graduated from Pittsburgh, he worked as a clerk for a law firm and coached at Delcastle.[3]
Cannon was inducted into the Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2000.[6] In February 2024, The News Journal ranked him 16th among the "30 greatest sprinters, throwers and jumpers" in Delaware history.[16] Later that year, he was selected for induction to the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Eric Cannon". World Athletics.
- ^ Reid, Ron (May 22, 1989). "George Mason wins IC4A title; Penn State is 2d". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Zabitka, Matt (January 11, 1990). "Delcastle wheels out big gun". The News Journal. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hughes, David (December 2, 1983). "Wm. Penn an imposing obstacle for Delcastle". The Morning News. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cannon fuels Delcastle". The Morning News. December 28, 1984. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Eric Cannon". Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame. May 11, 2017.
- ^ "Cannon hurdles to record". The News Journal. December 28, 1983. p. 38 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hughes, David (April 6, 1984). "Cannon off to fast start for Cougars". The News Journal. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cannon hurdles into record book". The News Journal. January 15, 1985. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Holveck, Brandon (March 13, 2024). "Power lifter, Phillie Phanatic, sportswriter among Delaware Sports Hall of Fame 2024 class". The News Journal.
- ^ "Davis, Canno revealed talents to out-of-staters". The News Journal. April 30, 1985. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "2024 HOF Inductees". Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. March 11, 2024.
- ^ Hughes, David (April 12, 1985). "Cannon receives scholarship to Pitt". The News Journal. p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Zabitka, Matt (February 23, 1987). "Pitt's Cannon firing out of starting blocks". The Morning News. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Chevalier, Jack (May 8, 1989). "Pitt's Cannon prepars to hurdle law school books". The News Journal. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Holveck, Brandon (February 6, 2024). "Delaware's fastest runners: The 30 greatest high school sprint and field event athletes". The News Journal – via archive.is.