Steve Cannon being recognized with USO Merit Award

Championing military support beyond the field.

In a league where the bond between sports and the military often goes beyond the playing field, Steve Cannon, Vice Chairman of AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE), has stood out as a beacon of unwavering support and gratitude for those who serve our nation. Cannon has been honored with the prestigious USO Merit Award for his exceptional contributions to supporting the military community, which he will formally receive on April 11th. His journey is not just about leading a football franchise; it’s about fostering profound connections between sports and service.

In an interview with The Falcoholic, Cannon offered profound insights into how he champions support for the military community. Reflecting on pivotal moments such as spearheading the first NFL team-directed USO Tour in 2018 and co-founding the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, Cannon shared how these experiences have not only transformed his perspective but also fueled his unwavering commitment to honoring the sacrifices of service members and their families.

As he prepares to accept the USO Merit Award, Cannon’s words serve as a poignant reminder of the profound impact that sports can have in bridging the gap between the military and society.

“For me the USO Tour in 2018 was a life changing experience,” Steve Cannon said. “I think I can speak for the folks that joined us on the trip. We had some cheerleaders, then head coach Dan Quinn, Chris Millman, Matt Bryant, Ben Garland, and Alex Mack – we were all transformed. It was a tough trip, we flew into Kuwait, connected from Kuwait and then into Iraq. Then we moved to the forward operating bases. We were truly on the front line. It was 110° outside, we met with soliders, Seal team members, and Delta Force guys. We got to hangout and spend time with those serving at the very front line of freedom in Iraq at that time. What it did for us, was it allowed us to truly understand what our soldiers go through when we send them out. Our soldiers serve in 140 countries across the world and most of us, we probably have no idea what they actually do. They’re sent off and then they come back 10 months later. They work 16-hour days in 110° heat.

Their mission temp is non-stop, they’re away from home, they’re away from their loved ones. They have very few amenities, they get occasional internet calls with back home but it is challenging. I don’t think any of us could truly appreciate it until you see it and experience it. I came away thinking if I could take this experience and bottle it up and serve it to Americans and let them know, let them truly understand what they go through. It was just a transformational experience for all of us. Coach Quinn who is now the coach of the Washington Commanders is coming to the event, he was like my battle buddy on that trip. It created a bond for us which has survived his departure to the Dallas Cowboys and now to Washington. We’re connected based on that experience. I’m honored and flattered that he’s going to take some of his time as a new head coach to come and spend the evening with us at the Gala.

One of the coolest thing that we got to do, when we went to Iraq, Bulgaria, and Romania is we met soldiers at the USO Centers. Younghoe Koo took on everyone in ping pong – just the magic that happened there was the most amazing thing to see. The camaraderie between soldiers, Koo, and our players in that moment as they just had fun and laughed and played ping pong, it was great. Koo took them all down, it was awesome. But that’s the magic of what the USO does.

When we went to Romania, they told us that they didn’t have a USO Center. So, there was no place for the soldiers there to gather, have fun, to play ping pong. We got together with our group and said ‘We should donate a USO Center.’ I ended up calling back home to Arthur Blank and saying ‘Arthur, we want to do more than just shake hands and leave behind some Falcons swag, let’s leave behind something more meaningful. Let’s build a USO Center for these folks. And we did.’

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Every year, the NFL highlights the remarkable stories of nominees who embody the spirit of service, showcasing the profound impact that sports can have in bridging the gap between the military and society. From players and coaches to team personnel and fans, the Salute to Service Award serves as a powerful reminder of the collective gratitude owed to those who sacrifice for our nation’s freedom.

The Falcons have been very involved in recent years, having four Salute to Service Award recipients since 2016. Dan Quinn (2016), Andre Roberts (2017), Ben Garland (2018), and Steve Cannon (2020).

“We had four out of five years, which essentially means this franchise really does live Salute to Service,” Cannon said. “It’s not just a weekend during the year. That’s what we have tried to do since day one is, in a state like Georgia where we have three major military bases, if there’s a franchise that needs to get this right, it needs to be the Atlanta Falcons.”

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The Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, co-founded by Cannon, emerged from a deeply personal tragedy and a profound sense of duty to honor the fallen. Inspired by the memory of Colonel John McHugh, who lost his life in Afghanistan, the fund initially aimed to support his family but soon expanded its mission.

“The Johnny Mac Soldiers fund was born out of one of the toughest things in my life,” Cannon said. “My friend, classmate John McHugh, was a colonel in Afghanistan and he was killed by a suicide bomber back in 2010. He left behind his wife Connie and their five beautiful kids. So, me and a group of classmates all came together and said let’s take care of Connie and the family while honoring John by doing that. So, we had a couple of golf tournaments and we raised enough money to provide for the family and their kids educations.

Then a light bulb went off, and we said ‘there’s a lot more of Johnny Mac’s out there, and there’s a lot more Connie’s and kids that have been left behind because of the sacrifice of their loved ones.’ So in John’s honor, we formed The Johnny Mac Soldier’s Fund and our mission since we started in 2014, we’re celebrating our 10^th anniversary, is to provide college scholarships for children of the fallen. We have no provided thousands of scholarships, we’ve raised more than $40 million, so what started very small has grown into a decade-long effort where we’re taking care of the kids that have been left behind. Mom or dad went away to serve their country and mom or dad didn’t come back. We have always felt passionately that the best way we can honor that ultimate sacrifice is by taking care of the family that is left behind. It’s been an amazing thing, and I’m just so grateful to have been apart of it.

Cannon envisions a deepening partnership between sports franchises and organizations like the USO, highlighting the crucial role they play in supporting service members and their families.

“I think they’re really, really important, Cannon said. “The challenge that we have in the United States is less than 1% of the population have any connection to someone serving in the military. As the gap between the military and the society that it serves becomes greater there’s a risk in that. Sports is our collective passion. If we can use the platform of sports to educate, to honor, to give back, what we’re doing is shrinking the gap and that’s a profoundly important thing. My hope from the beginning of this was to show sports teams what good looks like. Our idea from the beginning was, if we do benchmark, if we do this really, really well we might inspire other teams to do the same thing. And it’s happening, it’s spreading across not just our league, but other leagues as well. That’s the least we can do, right? We’ve got people out serving to protect our freedoms, so that we can play football on Sunday. The least we can do with those platforms is to thank them, and show people what they’re doing. I hope sports will become a spotlight and help shine that light on the service that’s going on every single day.”

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At the USO Gala, held on April 11th in Washington, D.C., Cannon will receive the USO Merit Award. The USO Merit Award serves as a testament to Cannon’s tireless dedication to honoring and supporting the military community. This prestigious accolade recognizes the Atlanta Falcons and the AMB Group’s exceptional efforts in using their platforms to give back to those who serve.

“The USO Merit Award is just a recognition of the body of work that says Steve Cannon and the Atlanta Falcons have done a great job of using the platforms of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the NFL, the Falcons, Atlanta United, to honor and give back to our military,” Cannon said. “But I accept this on behalf of our amazing team that have been integrating military members and their families into our game, entertainment, not just Salute to Service weekend but all of the games, so I’m just going there to accept this award on behalf of an amazing team.”

As Cannon stands on the cusp of receiving this prestigious accolade, his words provide a resounding call to action, urging sports franchises and organizations to continue bringing the military and society closer together. Through collective efforts and unwavering commitment, he suggests we can ensure that the sacrifices of our service members are never forgotten, and that their legacies of bravery and selflessness endure for generations to come.