thedrifter
09-07-09, 10:03 AM
Former Marine living his dream as FSU Seminole
By COREY CLARK Tallahassee Democrat
Published: Monday, September 7, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Wrapped around Ricardo Cannon's neck is the memory of two dead soldiers. Two heroes. Two ghosts.
On the football practice field or anywhere else, the Florida State walk-on defensive back -- and veteran of the Marine Corps -- makes sure they are with him. Always.
"Marines never die," said Cannon, 25. "Because they live on through other ones. That's why I wear my dog tags."
One is for Cpl. Richard O. Quill, who was under Cannon's command at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Quill was deployed to Iraq and came home draped in an American flag a few months later. He was 22.
"That was my baby," said Cannon, who became a squad leader in a combat platoon after his first two years of duty.
The other dog tag is for Sgt. Major Joseph Ellis, a mentor to Cannon while he was in the Corps.
"He was the probably the greatest man I ever met," Cannon said.
This is how the greatest man he ever met was killed in action.
"He and my buddy, Emery, were at an entry control checkpoint, and somebody ran up there with a bomb strapped to themselves," Cannon said. "Sgt. Major saw him coming and he dove in front of (Emery) while the guy was approaching. He dove in front and took the brunt of the blast. And it killed him."
And so the dog tags aren't for show. They are a reminder of the life and the death of two U.S. Marines.
An incredible journey
The story of how they came to be worn on the Florida State practice field reads like a Hollywood script.
Kid from Michigan falls in love with the FSU uniform as a child. Becomes a die-hard Seminole fan. Moves to Sarasota with his mother and goes out for the Riverview High football team, but is told that because he is a talented point guard, he has to choose between the two sports. He chooses basketball.
"He is really a great kid," said Riverview athletic director Jim Ward, who was his basketball coach. "Just a nice, hard-working kid. Wasn't a great great athlete, but a good person.
"He understood athletics. Understood being a part of athletics. A good worker. He wanted to do more than just go to school and be at school."
His grades were high enough to get him into most universities. It didn't matter. He was going to be a Marine.
"I'm physically fit," Cannon said when asked why he joined. "I can fight. So I thought, why shouldn't I defend this country? Why shouldn't I join the Marine Corps?"
Though he was in an elite combat unit, trained for warfare and trained Marines who went to Iraq, Cannon never saw combat. He admits that has been tough to wrestle with ever since he got out, especially with those two tags around his neck.
"You can't put yourself in a more prime position to see combat" than I did, Cannon said. "And I definitely struggle with it. I struggle with it all the time.
"It's definitely a sore spot. I just know I'm lucky to be here. There are a lot of guys that aren't here. I'm no better than them. In fact, they were better than I was."
Die-hard FSU fan
When he got out of the Marines in 2006, Cannon tried to enroll at Florida State but did not have enough college credits to be accepted as a transfer student. So he enrolled at the University of South Florida for one semester, then transferred to Florida State.
In January 2007, he took his first class in Tallahassee and went to every home football game that year. Then one day it occurred to him: Instead of cheering for the team, why not be a part of the team?
Sure, he had never worn a helmet or put on shoulder pads, but why not try to walk on to one of the most elite football programs in the United States?
And that is exactly what he did in the summer of 2008.
Cannon, who is set to graduate in December with a degree in political science, is never going to start at Florida State. He knows that. His teammates and coaches know that.
They also know that Florida State football is truly a passion for him.
"When we had Seminole Showtime (in July), he stood up and spoke and told everybody in there how much Florida State meant to him," junior cornerback Ochuko Jenije said. "And how he would wake up early in the morning overseas, like 3 a.m., just to watch a Florida State game.
"That's how big it was to him."
Always a Marine
And now the 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back gets to show it on the practice field. Cannon works mainly on the FSU defensive scout team, helping the offense prepare for the next opponent. He has a work ethic and a level of physical fitness that his teammates, and defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, can hardly believe.
"I wish all of our guys that know they're going to be playing on Monday night would prepare like he does in trying to help our offense," Andrews said. "That makes him special right there. And he's a very important part of this Florida State football team."
The Marine/defensive back, who dressed out for two games last year but did not play, admits he would love to get just one snap in a real-life Florida State football game. Even if it is on kickoff coverage.
But even if he never gets his "Rudy" moment inside Doak Campbell Stadium, the last two years have felt like a feel-good movie for the Marine-turned-defensive back.
Tonight he will be on the sidelines for the Florida State-Miami game. Wearing No. 14. Soaking up every last second.
It has been a remarkable journey to get to this place, this moment, made all the more meaningful by the two ghosts, two heroes, who have been with him every step of the way.
Ellie
By COREY CLARK Tallahassee Democrat
Published: Monday, September 7, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Wrapped around Ricardo Cannon's neck is the memory of two dead soldiers. Two heroes. Two ghosts.
On the football practice field or anywhere else, the Florida State walk-on defensive back -- and veteran of the Marine Corps -- makes sure they are with him. Always.
"Marines never die," said Cannon, 25. "Because they live on through other ones. That's why I wear my dog tags."
One is for Cpl. Richard O. Quill, who was under Cannon's command at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Quill was deployed to Iraq and came home draped in an American flag a few months later. He was 22.
"That was my baby," said Cannon, who became a squad leader in a combat platoon after his first two years of duty.
The other dog tag is for Sgt. Major Joseph Ellis, a mentor to Cannon while he was in the Corps.
"He was the probably the greatest man I ever met," Cannon said.
This is how the greatest man he ever met was killed in action.
"He and my buddy, Emery, were at an entry control checkpoint, and somebody ran up there with a bomb strapped to themselves," Cannon said. "Sgt. Major saw him coming and he dove in front of (Emery) while the guy was approaching. He dove in front and took the brunt of the blast. And it killed him."
And so the dog tags aren't for show. They are a reminder of the life and the death of two U.S. Marines.
An incredible journey
The story of how they came to be worn on the Florida State practice field reads like a Hollywood script.
Kid from Michigan falls in love with the FSU uniform as a child. Becomes a die-hard Seminole fan. Moves to Sarasota with his mother and goes out for the Riverview High football team, but is told that because he is a talented point guard, he has to choose between the two sports. He chooses basketball.
"He is really a great kid," said Riverview athletic director Jim Ward, who was his basketball coach. "Just a nice, hard-working kid. Wasn't a great great athlete, but a good person.
"He understood athletics. Understood being a part of athletics. A good worker. He wanted to do more than just go to school and be at school."
His grades were high enough to get him into most universities. It didn't matter. He was going to be a Marine.
"I'm physically fit," Cannon said when asked why he joined. "I can fight. So I thought, why shouldn't I defend this country? Why shouldn't I join the Marine Corps?"
Though he was in an elite combat unit, trained for warfare and trained Marines who went to Iraq, Cannon never saw combat. He admits that has been tough to wrestle with ever since he got out, especially with those two tags around his neck.
"You can't put yourself in a more prime position to see combat" than I did, Cannon said. "And I definitely struggle with it. I struggle with it all the time.
"It's definitely a sore spot. I just know I'm lucky to be here. There are a lot of guys that aren't here. I'm no better than them. In fact, they were better than I was."
Die-hard FSU fan
When he got out of the Marines in 2006, Cannon tried to enroll at Florida State but did not have enough college credits to be accepted as a transfer student. So he enrolled at the University of South Florida for one semester, then transferred to Florida State.
In January 2007, he took his first class in Tallahassee and went to every home football game that year. Then one day it occurred to him: Instead of cheering for the team, why not be a part of the team?
Sure, he had never worn a helmet or put on shoulder pads, but why not try to walk on to one of the most elite football programs in the United States?
And that is exactly what he did in the summer of 2008.
Cannon, who is set to graduate in December with a degree in political science, is never going to start at Florida State. He knows that. His teammates and coaches know that.
They also know that Florida State football is truly a passion for him.
"When we had Seminole Showtime (in July), he stood up and spoke and told everybody in there how much Florida State meant to him," junior cornerback Ochuko Jenije said. "And how he would wake up early in the morning overseas, like 3 a.m., just to watch a Florida State game.
"That's how big it was to him."
Always a Marine
And now the 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back gets to show it on the practice field. Cannon works mainly on the FSU defensive scout team, helping the offense prepare for the next opponent. He has a work ethic and a level of physical fitness that his teammates, and defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, can hardly believe.
"I wish all of our guys that know they're going to be playing on Monday night would prepare like he does in trying to help our offense," Andrews said. "That makes him special right there. And he's a very important part of this Florida State football team."
The Marine/defensive back, who dressed out for two games last year but did not play, admits he would love to get just one snap in a real-life Florida State football game. Even if it is on kickoff coverage.
But even if he never gets his "Rudy" moment inside Doak Campbell Stadium, the last two years have felt like a feel-good movie for the Marine-turned-defensive back.
Tonight he will be on the sidelines for the Florida State-Miami game. Wearing No. 14. Soaking up every last second.
It has been a remarkable journey to get to this place, this moment, made all the more meaningful by the two ghosts, two heroes, who have been with him every step of the way.
Ellie