Eddie Canonico, who was a key midseason acquisition for the Avengers in 2007, will return for his second season with Los Angeles in 2008. A veteran with experience in the Arena Football League, National Football League and NFL Europe, he was acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Gladiators on April 24, 2007. Canonico played in nine regular-season games for the Avengers in 2007, finishing with a team-high 65 tackles. He also had one interception and six pass breakups for Los Angeles. Prior to the trade, Canonico played in six games for Las Vegas and came up with 36 tackles and six pass breakups, ranking second on the Gladiator team in both categories at the time. He was acquired by Las Vegas on Oct. 12, 2005, in a trade with the Dallas Desperados. After initially signing with the Arizona Rattlers in 2003 and spending time on the practice squad, Canonico made his AFL debut with Dallas a year later. He played in nine games for the Desperados during the 2004 season and finished with 24.5 tackles and six pass breakups. On March 21, 2004, he played against the Avengers and made six tackles and broke up two passes (the Avengers won, 60-44, at Reunion Arena in Dallas).
NFL: Canonico was signed to the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad at the tailend of the 2007 season. He spent three weeks on the active roster of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005, after being signed to the practice squad earlier that season. Canonico re-signed with the Eagles in 2006, but did not see any action before being released. In 2005, he was allocated by the Kansas City Chiefs to the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe, where he made 38 tackles in 10 starts. After his successful debut in the AFL with the Desperados in 2004, Canonico signed with the Panthers and finished out the 2004 season on their practice squad. He signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns, following the 2002 NFL Draft, but was released prior to the start of the regular season.
COLLEGE: Canonico recorded 137.5 tackles and four interceptions in four seasons as a safety at Sacramento (Calif.) State University. He began his collegiate career at Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas) in 1997, but did not see any action and redshirted prior to transferring to Sacramento State.
HIGH SCHOOL: Canonico earned All-Southern Nevada Conference honors in 1996 as a senior defensive back and wide receiver at Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nev. He was named the school's "Athlete of the Year" following his senior year, which included a state wrestling championship at 171 pounds and school records in both the long jump and triple jump.
PERSONAL: Raised in New York (North Babylon on Long Island) ... resides in Las Vegas in the offseason and runs a mortgage company there with a friend. |
