Pitt's James Conner, cancer-free, can't wait to run out of that tunnel
One of the best moments of this college football season will take place Saturday afternoon, though it has little to do with actual college football.
James Conner, the Pittsburgh running back, will run through the tunnel and out onto the field at Heinz Field just before 1:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon as Pitt prepares to face Villanova in its season opener. Conner will be taking the field in uniform for the first time since he beat cancer.
Ever since Conner was diagnosed with Hogkin's lymphoma last winter, he'd always envisioned this: The moment he'd run out of the tunnel — not the moment he'd get his first touch, or score his first touchdown.
"He'd said, 'Coach, I'm going to beat this thing and tell my story,' " Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi said this week. "To me, this is like the last chapter. It's going to be emotional."
Conner has spent many months picturing the scene, as have his loved ones.
"I can't be out there crying on the field," Conner said this summer, smiling. "They're going to look at me like, ‘This man is soft. What's this running back doing crying on the field?’ I ain't going to be doing any of that. It will be an emotional day, but it will also be a good day.
“I’m going to run really hard.”
Conner, who was named a team captain, is not limited in any way from a football playing standpoint. Throughout his 12 chemotherapy treatments and recovery, he tried to work out and keep himself as close as he could to his playing weight.
Since he found out he was cancer-free on May 23, he's been working even harder to return to the type of player he was two years ago before both his fight with cancer and last year's season-ending knee injury.
Two years ago, Conner rushed for 1,765 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and 26 touchdowns; he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year.
JAMES CONNER'S PATH TO RECOVERY