Buccaneers’ Jersey Countdown: Number 78
Who was the best player in Buccaneers history to wear the number 78?
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This afternoon, we are going to continue our trip down Buccaneers memory lane. We started this last off-season, and this seemed like the perfect time to continue.
Throughout franchise history, there have been players worth noting due to their talent. It started with Lee Roy Selmon, and continues right through today with the likes of Mike Evans. The wins may not have been bountiful, especially early on, but the talent was. The Bucs always had talent on their roster.
But who were the best players?
Starting at number 99, we had been counting down the best players ever to wear the jersey, by number (check them all out via the drop down on our home page). We left off at number 78, so that is where we pick things up today. The player we are going to profile spent his time in Tampa back in the 1980’s. His name is John Cannon.
Cannon was drafted by the Bucs in the third round of the 1982 draft out of William and Mary. After seeing little to no action his rookie year, Cannon came on to start 11 games in 1983. The result was five sacks and a fumble recovery. Over the next two seasons he started every game from his left defensive end spot. Cannon racked up 3.5 sacks in 1984 and 4.5 in 1985. One particular game of note was the final week of the 1984 season. That day, Cannon posted two sacks in a 41-21 victory over the New York Jets.
After back to back two sack seasons, Cannon’s performance rose a bit in 1988, when he posted three sacks. By then he was serving as depth at defensive end, starting only three out of the 16 games that year. He posted two more sacks over the next two seasons before his career in the NFL came to an end after 1990.
He may not have been a perennial Pro Bowl player, but John Cannon was a solid addition to our Bucs through the 80’s. He’s also the best player in team history to wear number 78,