University football superstar Billy Cannon has been named the LSU Alumnus of the Year, the LSU Alumni Association announced Tuesday.Cannon said he accepts the award with honor in his own name and in the name of his former teammates who have supported him throughout the ups and downs of his career.”I take it humbly, but also very damn proudly that we were a great football team and I was one of the outstanding players on that field,” said Cannon, who is widely known for his 89-yard punt return touchdown against Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium on Halloween night in 1959.The alumnus of the year is chosen by a selection committee based on confidential nominations, said Jason Ramezan, Vice President of Alumni Relations.”[The award] is based on merit and what people have done while they were at LSU, after they were at LSU and as they move forward in their professional careers,” Ramezan said.Cannon led the Tigers to their first national championship win in 1958 and is also the University’s only Heisman Trophy winner.But Cannon said he can’t take credit for the success the Tigers enjoyed while he was on the team.”I have received a number of honors, and the honors go to Billy Cannon. But they’re not for Billy Cannon — Billy Cannon didn’t win or lose a game by himself,” Cannon said. “As for one guy ruling the Southeastern Conference, I didn’t do that. I had tremendous support.”Herb Vincent, associate vice chancellor of University Relations, said Cannon represents the University well as an exemplary alumnus.”He stands tall among athletic alumni and LSU alumni in general,” Vincent said. “He’s asked about and revered nationwide.”Cannon said he is aware of doubts people may have about his selection due to the darker parts of his personal life, namely his imprisonment for his role in counterfeiting money during the ’80s after being left in debt from gambling and real-estate investments.”I asked [the Alumni Association] and requested strongly that they have a recount to be sure … they could take some of the press’ backlash from me being named,” he said.The LSU Alumnus of the Year is reviewed for significant accomplishments at the University, and financial contributions are also taken into account, Ramezan said.Cannon said he recognized that financial support played a part in his selection, but said he knows there are people who have contributed much more money than he has.”I receive this award not as an athletic award, but for service to this great University,” Cannon said.Cannon will receive the award during a ceremony April 16. He currently works as the resident dentist at Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola. –Contact Ryan Buxton at [email protected]