Pitt’s Conner gets chance of lifetime, will join Steelers
James Conner played in the WPIAL at Erie McDowell High School. He played at Pitt. Now he’s going to play for the Steelers.
Conner, a bruising running back who gained national acclaim after overcoming Hodgkin lymphoma, was selected late Friday night with the No. 105 pick by the Steelers.
“It’s a dream come true,” Conner said on a conference call as friends and family cheered him on from a Buffalo Wild Wings in Erie. “I know a lot of teams were scared. They gave me the opportunity of a lifetime and they’re going to get a great football player.”
Conner endured 12 chemotherapy treatments and played two months after his final cancer scan came back clean. He rushed for 1,092 yards and scored 16 touchdowns in 2016, while playing at what he estimated at 60 percent.
Conner penned an open letter to NFL teams last week that ran in the Player’s Tribune and promised he’ll be known for much more than the player that overcame cancer.
“I mean, at this point I’m pretty much recognized around the world as ‘that football player who battled Hodgkin’s and then came back to play the following year.’” Conner wrote. “I’ve come to realize that me being a cancer survivor is something I’ll never get away from. It’s a part of my story, no doubt. But I’m writing you today to let you know that I am more than the guy who beat cancer.”
Conner was asked Friday night why he wrote the letter.
“A lot of people look at me as just that,” he said. “Get that word out there.”
Steelers running backs coach James Saxon said Conner’s selection was not sentimental.
“This is not a story about sentiment,” Saxon said in a matter of fact manner. “This is the story about a man who is a very good football player. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s physical and he runs downhill.”
The Steelers needed a running back to serve as a backup to Le’Veon Bell after they decided not to re-sign veteran DeAngelo Williams. Bell will play next season on the franchise tag unless he signs a long-term contract before July 15.
With Bell’s effective hesitating running style and Conner’s physical style the Steelers should have an effective 1-2 punch that will be able to wear on defenses late in games.
“He’s one of my good friends,” Conner said of Bell. “Whenever I come in the game I’ll give it my all and contribute where they need me.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert had the benefit of getting to know Conner well over the past four years. The Steelers share a practice facility with the Panthers on the South Side and it’s routine for the college players to run into the Steelers coaches and players.
“We bump into these kids on a regular basis,” Saxon said. “James is a great guy. What he does as a football player is what we want. What Coach T and Kevin look for is a Steeler, and he’s that.”
Before he was diagnosed with cancer Conner rushed for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2014. A knee injury in the 2015 opener against Youngtown State ended his season.
The Steelers are betting on Conner to get back to that 2014 form. After overcoming the adversity he did the past two years, who is betting against him?