Leland Canessa

Leland Canessa played football and basketball for Astoria’s legendary Coach John Warren in the early 1930s. Canessa played two years for the Fighting Fishermen football team, helping them to a 12-6-1 record.

In the 1933 opening game of the season against Naselle, at Gyro Field, Canessa would throw four touchdown laterals to Robert Williamson. This set an Astoria school record for most touchdown passes thrown between two players in one game, as the Fishermen won 33-0.

For all of Canessa’s exploits on the football field, it was his basketball career that puts him in the annuals of great Fishermen athletes. Starting in 1931 when he was brought up from the junior high to the high school varsity, Canessa would play in four State Championship Tournaments, and help the Fishermen compile a 114-23 regular season record.

In 1931, Canessa was brought up to the varsity and the teams’ regular season record was 23-8. At the State Tournament, the Fishermen lost their opening round game to Jefferson 33-28. Later that day, they defeated Monmouth 21-20 as Canessa scored his first State Tournament points. Astoria then went on to defeat Jefferson 36-18, Dalles 49-11 and Benson 30-23 to win the consolation bracket.

In 1932 Canessa became a “mainstay” on the team, as it went 29-4. He scored 86 points for the season including his four tournament games. The Fishermen defeated Baker and then showed their “mental” by beating Medford and Benson by one point each. In the championship game, Astoria defeated Salem by three points.

In 1933 the team’s record was 27-7. Canessa scored 249 points to lead the Fishermen for the season. At the State Tournament, the team defeated Eugene and Corvallis before losing to Lincoln in the Championship game. Canessa was selected to the All-Star Tournament Second Team.

Canessa’s senior year (1934), the all-star missed five games due to injury, but still scared 217 points. This was second on the team to Hall of Famer Ted Sarpola. The team record was 35-4. The Fishermen won their last 23 games against high school competition, losing only one to the Oregon State University freshman.

At the State Tournament, Astoria rolled to the State Championship by defeating Mill City by 15 points, Klamath Falls by 23 points, and Oakridge by 15 points. In the championship game the Fishermen prevailed against Jefferson by 20 points. Canessa closed his illustrious career by being selected to the All-State Tournament second team for the second year in a row.

Leland Canessa went on to play one year of freshman basketball at the University of Oregon, he now joins his son Bob as one of four father/son combinations in the Astoria High School Hall of Fame.