Chad Cannon begins his first season as the head track & field/cross country coach at Savannah State University, replacing former head coach Ted Whitaker after a 38-year run at SSU.
Coach Cannon has accomplished a lot as a Track & Field and Cross Country coach with over 30 years of success at the high school, NAIA, and NCAA Division levels. Cannon is a proven program builder with a track record of developing conference champions, national qualifiers, and record holders across multiple event groups. Experienced in recruiting, athlete development, and fostering championship-level team
culture, Cannon also brings additional leadership and organizational strength after being a small business owner of a very successful fitness and wellness performance training business lasting over 20 years.
Cannon is also a master level fitness and performance coach, a motivational speaker, success life coach, and best-selling author of two books.
Coach Cannon. Also known as “Coach BOOM” competed in track and field at the University of Rio Grande (OH) in the early 1990’s, and went on to compete professionally as a long jumper and 400 meter sprinter.
While training professionally, Cannon also became an assistant cross country and track coach at the University of Rio Grande for two years, helping his teams rank in the top 10 nationally.
Cannon then spent 25 plus years coaching at the high school level at Thomas Worthington H.S. in Ohio, Hilton Head High (S.C.), Bluffton High (S.C.), and May River High (S.C.), earning 4 state championships, numerous state runner-ups and top 5 team finishes in both cross country and track. Cannon was also a girls basketball coach for over 10 years, even taking his May River girls to the final four in the state playoffs in 2020.
This is not Cannon’s first time at Savannah State. He was an assistant coach at SSU in 1999 for one season before taking the coaching position at Hilton Head High and starting his own fitness training business in Bluffton, SC.
Two years ago, Cannon came back to SSU as an assistant coach, helping his jumpers earn national qualifications as well as school records.
Cannon comes to Savannah State as the head coach with 3 goals: 1. Help his student athletes become the best men and women they can possibly be with no limits to their success. 2. Win conference championships 3. Win National championships. That’s the goal.
