Larry Cannon, the former La Salle star and Sixers forward, dies at 77

Larry Cannon, a gifted scorer and a star of the 1968-69 La Salle Explorers, still regarded as the best team in Big 5 history, died Wednesday. He was 77.

Information about the cause of his death was not immediately available.

A 6-foot-5 forward, an alumnus of Lincoln High School, and a 1973 inductee into the Big 5 Hall of Fame, Cannon averaged more than 19 points over his junior and senior seasons at La Salle. In the second of those seasons, he was a second-team All-America selection, and the Explorers, coached by Tom Gola, went 23-1, losing only to South Carolina and finishing second in the Associated Press national rankings. They were ineligible for the 1969 NCAA Tournament because of recruiting infractions committed under Gola’s predecessor, Jim Harding.

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A first-round pick in both the NBA and ABA drafts, Cannon chose to play for the ABA’s Miami Floridians. After one season in Miami, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets and led them in scoring, averaging 26.6 points over 80 games. Phlebitis, a chronic inflammation of the veins in his legs, cut his pro career short after he played 19 games for the 76ers during the 1973-74 season.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be determined.