James Conner

At 29 years old, James Conner has this physical status:

James Earl Conner (born May 5, 1995) is an American football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football at Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

He received first-team All-American recognition in 2014 and was named ACC Player of the Year.

Personal life

James Conner was raised by his parents, Kelly Patterson and Glen Conner Sr., and is the youngest of five brothers. Glen, Richard, Michael, and Rico are among his brothers. Glen, Richard and Michael are blood relatives, while Rico is a stepbrother from his mother's second marriage. At Pitt, he was interested in interaction. Glen Jr. plays football, as a defensive lineman with his hometown Erie Express professional team in the Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL). Glen was named "Defensive Player of the Week" on Monday, with seven tackles, three tackles for loss (-16 yards), three interceptions, and an interception in the Express's 30-6 victory over the Westmoreland Wolves.

Conner revealed on December 4, 2015, he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Despite this, he said, "I choose not to fear cancer." "I will play football again" is a word. Conner recovered after breaking his MCL during the Panthers' first game of 2015, but doctors soon started feeling exhaustion and other signs, prompting doctors to perform a chest x-ray that revealed Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He completed his last chemo appointment on May 9, 2016 after 12 rounds of chemotherapy. Conner continued to participate in non-contact drills with the Pittsburgh Panthers football team as much as his body would allow.

Conner appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 21, 2016, when she met Kansas City Chiefs' safety Eric Berry, who also beat Hodgkin's lymphoma and whom Conner regarded as a hero. The two players had communicated via text message during Conner's hospitalization, but never met in person.

Conner declared on Twitter on May 23, 2016, that he was cancer-free.

Conner began growing a mullet, which became popular among Steeler fans and completely adopting the Yinzer style with the hairstyle during the 2018 season. Conner was one of several Pittsburgh natives and/or sports stars to sport the hairstyle, most notably former Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Jaromr Jágr.

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High school career

Conner attended McDowell High School in Erie, Pennsylvania. On the Trojans' football team, he served as a running back and defensive lineman. He rushed for 1,680 yards on 155 attempts and 26 touchdowns as a senior. In August 2012, he committed to play college football at the University of Pittsburgh.

College career

Conner played in 12 of 13 games as a true freshman in 2013. He made his collegiate debut during the Panthers' season-opening loss to Florida State and had eight carries for 34 yards. He scored his first touchdown against New Mexico in his career against New Mexico and ended the game with 12 carries, 119 rushing yards, and a season-high two touchdowns. Conner defeated Bowling Green in the Little Caesars Bowl on December 26, 2013, winning by 26 yards and a touchdown. He was named the 2013 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl MVP. With 799 and rushing touchdowns, he led the team in rushing yards with 8 touchdowns. Conner's 229 rushing yards tied for the most rushing yards in a bowl game, breaking Tony Dorsett's school record for rushing yards in a bowl game.

In the season-opening 62–0 victory over Delaware, Conner had rushing for 153 yards on 14 tackles and scored a season-high four touchdowns. Conner rushed for a career-high 263 yards on a career-high 38 attempts and scored three touchdowns on November 1, 2014, beating No. 48 in a 48-51 double-overtime loss to No. Duke 24. In a loss to North Carolina, he passed 200 yards for his second straight game, with 30 carries for 220 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns. Conner rushed for 1,765 yards on 298 attempts in his sophomore season and set a new ACC record of 26 rushing touchdowns. He led the ACC in rushing yards and finished seventh in the FBS, ranked seventh in the FBS. He was named ACC Player of the Year and received AFCA first-team All-American recognition at the end of the season.

Conner tore his MCL against Youngstown State on September 5, 2015. He finished the game with eight carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns, but he missed the remainder of his junior season. During the recovery process, he was also diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and was finally cancer-free during the offseason.

Conner played in the Panthers' season-opener against Villanova, winning with 17 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown, as well as scoring his first touchdown reception. In a 42–39 victory over Penn State, Conner had 22 attempts for 117 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He also had four receptions, 29 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception against Penn State. During Conner's 38-45 loss to Oklahoma State on September 17, 2016, he had a season-high 24 rushing yards and a touchdown. In a 36–39 loss to No. 6, he had 19 carries, a season-high 141 rushing yards, and three touchdowns on October 27, 2016. 25 Virginia Tech.

Conner revealed on Twitter on December 10, 2016 that he intended to apply for early eligibility for the 2017 NFL Draft as an underclassman and forego his senior year at Pitt in exchange. Underclassmen had to apply for the draft by January 16, 2017.

Professional career

Conner attended the NFL Scouting Combine but decided not to do the 40-yard dash, broad jump, vertical, and bench press. To finish his overall result, he completed the three-cone drill, short shuttle, and positional drills at Pitt's Pro Day. Conner was forecast to be a fifth or sixth round pick by NFL draft scouts and experts at the conclusion of the pre-draft process. Sports Illustrated ranked Conner as the 12th best running back in the draft and the 15th best running back by DraftScout.com.

With the 105th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Conner in the third round. Conner was the eighth running back to be chosen in the draft. He had the top selling NFL jersey in July, defeating all rookies, as well as Marshawn Lynch, Von Miller, Dak Prescott, and Tom Brady.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Conner to a four-year, $3.16 million deal, with a signing bonus of $706,288.

Conner began training camp with veterans Knile Davis and Fitzgerald Toussaint for the unfilled backup running back position left by DeAngelo Williams. During final roster cuts, Davis and Toussaint were cut down, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin named Conner the backup to Le'Veon Bell to start the regular season.

Conner made his NFL debut with the Cleveland Browns in the season-opener and had four carries for 11 yards in a 21–18 victory. In a 26–9 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, he had four carries for a season-high 26 rushing yards. He was put on injured reserve on December 19, 2017, due to an MCL tear that required surgery. Conner finished his rookie season with 144 rushing yards on 32 attempts.

After Le'Veson Bell's decision to indefinitely postpone a long-term contract due to a labor dispute over a long-term contract, head coach Mike Tomlin called Conner the starting running back to begin the regular season.

In a 21–21 draw, Conner made his first NFL appearance in the Cleveland Browns' season-opener and had 31 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He scored his first NFL touchdown on a 4-yard run in the first quarter and had five receptions for 47 yards. During Week 1, his 135-yard output led all players in rushing yards. He had 110 passing yards and two running touchdowns to go along with four receptions for 75 yards during Week 5 in a 41-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Conner had 111 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with four touchdowns for 18 yards in Week 6, a 28-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Conner had his best game of his career to date in Week 8, throwing for 146 yards on 24 passes and two touchdowns, as well as five receptions for 66 yards in a 33–18 victory over the Browns. Conner was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week and AFC Offensive Player of the Month for the month of October for his efforts. In the 23–16 victory, he had 107 passing yards, 56 receiving yards, and a touchdown. He sustained a lower leg injury against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13, which sidelined him for a few weeks. Conner was selected to the 2019 NFL Pro Bowl, his first appearance in the AFC Pro Bowl, and he was also named the starting running back for the AFC Pro Bowl team, according to the team. He returned to the Cincinnati Bengals for their regular season finale. With 973 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 55 receptions, 497 receiving yards, and a touchdown, he finished the 2018 season. He was ranked 62nd by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.

Conner suffered his knee and left the game in the third quarter in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. Conner rushed 11 times for 33 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the year before being injured. The Steelers lost 26-28 without Conner. Conner rushed 16 times for 41 yards and a touchdown in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and a touchdown was intercepted. Conner rushed seven times for 78 yards and a touchdown, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers. Conner rushed 23 times for 145 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, before losing the game due to a shoulder injury. The Steelers defeated the Steelers 27-14 without Conner. For his appearance, he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football, Conner returned from injury. Conner rushed five times for ten yards and caught one pass for six yards before breaking his shoulder in the first half. Without Conner, the Steelers lost 21–7. Overall, Conner had 464 rushing yards and four touchdowns to go along with 34 receptions for 251 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Conner rushed six times for nine yards against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, before losing the game due to an ankle injury. Without Conner in the lineup, the Steelers won the game 26–16. Conner had a bounce back against the Denver Broncos in Week 2 with 106 passing yards and a running touchdown. The 26-21 victory gave Conner a 26–21 win. In a 28-21 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 3, he had 18 passes for 109 yards. In Week 6, against the Cleveland Browns, he had 20 passes for 101 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Conner was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on November 28, 2020, after testing positive for the virus and activating on December 9. He finished the 2020 season with 169 passes for 721 yards and six rushing touchdowns to go along with 35 receptions for 215 receiving yards.

Conner rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown while the Cleveland Browns lost by five touchdowns in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, defeating the Cleveland Browns by five yards.

Conner announced that he had a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals on April 13, 2021.

Conner led the Cardinals over the San Francisco 49ers with 173 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in Week 9. He had 125 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14. With 742 yards and finished second in the league with a career-high 15 touchdowns, he finished the season as the Cardinals' top rusher with 752 yards and finished second in the league. He was chosen to the Pro Bowl. He was ranked 80th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.

Conner signed a three-year contract extension with the Cardinals on March 14, 2022.

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