He previously played as an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants in the 1930s.

During World War II, he was a United States Coast Guard Executive Officer to the Intelligence Service for the Third Naval District, from 1942 to 1945.

[2] On April 4, 1963, Cannella was nominated by President John F. Kennedy to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by Judge Irving Kaufman.

Cannella was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 28, 1963, and received his commission on July 3, 1963.

[2] A resident of the Douglaston community of Queens, he served in senior status until his death, on October 30, 1996, in Glen Cove, New York.