James Conner

Early life

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

2013 season

As a true freshman in 2013, Conner played in 12 of 13 games. He made his collegiate debut during the Panthers' season opening loss to Florida State and had eight carries for 34 yards. The following week, he scored his first career touchdown against New Mexico and finished the win with 12 carries, 119 rushing yards, and a season-high two touchdowns. On December 26, 2013, Conner had a season-high 26 carries for 226 yards and a touchdown during a 30–27 victory over Bowling Green in the Little Caesars Bowl, He was named the 2013 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl MVP. He led the team in rushing yards with 799 and rushing touchdowns with eight. Conner's 229 rushing yards broke Tony Dorsett's school record for rushing yards in a bowl game.

2014 season

Conner started his sophomore season rushing for 153 yards on 14 carries and scored a season-high four touchdowns in the season-opening 62–0 win over Delaware. On November 1, 2014, Conner rushed for a career-high 263 rushing yards on a career-high 38 attempts and scored three touchdowns during a 51–48 double-overtime loss to No. 24 Duke. The next game, he passed 200 yards rushing for a second consecutive game with 30 carries for 220 yards and career-high-tying four touchdowns in a loss to North Carolina. In his sophomore season in 2014, Conner rushed for 1,765 yards on 298 attempts and set an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) record with 26 rushing touchdowns. He led the ACC in rushing yards and ranked 7th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. At the end of the season, he was named the ACC Player of the Year and garnered American Football Coaches Association first-team All-American honors.

2015 season

On September 5, 2015, Conner tore his MCL during the Panthers' season opening 45–37 victory over Youngstown State. He finished the game with eight carries for 77 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns but missed the rest of his junior season. He was also diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma during the rehab process and was finally cancer-free during the off-season.

Conner was named to the AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes college football student-athletes for outstanding contributions to their communities.

2016 season

Conner played in the Panthers' season-opener against Villanova and finished the victory with 17 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown while also accounting for three receptions for 15 yards and scored his first career touchdown reception. The next game, Conner had 22 attempts for 117 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a 42–39 victory over Penn State. He also had four receptions, 29 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception against Penn State. On September 17, 2016, Conner had a season-high 24 carries for 111 rushing yards and a touchdown during a 38–45 loss to Oklahoma State. On October 27, 2016, he had 19 carries, a season-high 141 rushing yards, and three touchdowns in a 36–39 loss to No. 25 Virginia Tech.

On December 10, 2016, Conner announced via Twitter that he intended to apply for early eligibility for the 2017 NFL draft as an underclassman and forgo his senior year at Pitt. Underclassmen had to apply for the draft by January 16, 2017.

Personal life

Conner was raised by his parents, Kelly Patterson and Glen Conner Sr. and is the youngest of five brothers. He majored in communication at Pitt. Glen Jr. also plays football, a defensive lineman with his local Erie Express professional team in the Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL). On April 22, 2019, the Express honored Glen as their "Defensive Player of the Week" with seven tackles, three tackles for loss (−16 yards), three sacks, and an interception in their 30–6 victory over the Westmoreland Wolves.

On December 4, 2015, Conner announced he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Despite this, he said "I choose to not fear cancer... I will play football again." After tearing his MCL during the Panthers' first game of 2015, Conner attended rehab and began experiencing excessive fatigue and other symptoms, leading doctors to perform a chest x-ray that revealed Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He endured 12 rounds of chemotherapy and completed his last chemo appointment on May 9, 2016. During his treatment, 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 April 21, 2016 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and met Kansas City Chiefs' safety Eric Berry, who also overcame Hodgkin's lymphoma and whom Conner saw as an inspirational figure. During Conner's treatment, the two players had spoken via text message but had never met in person.

On May 23, 2016, Conner announced on Twitter that he was cancer free.

During the 2018 season, Conner began growing a mullet, which became popular among Steeler fans and fully embracing the Yinzer culture with the hairstyle. Conner joined many other Pittsburgh natives and/or sports stars that have sported the hairstyle, most prominently former Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Jaromír Jágr.