Pittsburgh running back James Conner, the 2014 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and an AFCA first-team All-American, is battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. Conner announced his diagnosis Friday afternoon while surrounded by his mother, head coach Pat Narduzzi and several teammates at a press conference on campus.
Pittsburgh running back James Conner announces he has Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Pittsburgh’s All-American running back James Conner is battling cancer, but doctors suggest his cure rate is between 85 and 95 percent.
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#Pitt RB James Conner announces that he has been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma.
— Sam Werner (@SWernerPG) December 4, 2015 Per doctor, Conner's cure rate is between 85-95 percent.
— Sam Werner (@SWernerPG) December 4, 2015 Conner had missed the bulk of the 2015 season after suffering a torn MCL in his team’s opener against Youngstown State. He ran for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2014. Despite the bad news, the tailback remained optimistic and determined to return to the gridiron.
Conner: "We’re going to fight this, we’re going to beat this thing." #Pitt
— Sam Werner (@SWernerPG) December 4, 2015 Conner: "I will play football again."
— Sam Werner (@SWernerPG) December 4, 2015 Conner: "I know there’s a lot of young kids who have cancer and look up to me. I’m ready to face this challenge."
— Sam Werner (@SWernerPG) December 4, 2015 The Pitt junior could return, if healthy, for his senior season in 2016. Before his diagnosis, Conner had been weighing his options between playing for the Panthers or jumping to the NFL Draft next spring. He had been rated as one of the ACC’s top draft candidates before his injury this summer.
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