Otey Cannon is an American former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who was the first black American player in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

. He also played in the American Soccer League. Cannon attended

Chico State University California State University, Chico, or commonly, Chico State, is a public university in Chico, California. Founded in 1887, it is the second oldest campus in the California State University system. As of the fall 2020 semester, the university had ...

where he played on the men's soccer team in 1970 and 1971. Although he played only two season, his 42 goals puts him second on the team's career goals list. Chico State inducted him into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1972, Cannon turned professional with the

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. ...

of the

. In 1974, Dallas traded him to the expansion

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club w ...

. In 1976, Cannon moved to the Sacramento Spirits of the American Soccer League.

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Career stats
1950 births Living people Soccer players from San Francisco American men's soccer players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Dallas Tornado players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Sacramento Gold (1976–1980) players Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players Chico State Wildcats men's soccer players Men's association football forwards {{US-footy-forward-stub