Former Steelers, Pitt star James Conner to return to ‘special place’ Sunday with Cardinals

Though he was born and went to high school in Erie, James Conner spent more than a quarter of his life living in Pittsburgh.

Perhaps it only seems like he spent more time than that at the North Shore venue he knew as Heinz Field.

“Starting back in college, at the same stadium,” Conner said this week, referencing what is now called Acrisure Stadium. “As soon as I graduated high school, then right down to training camp.

“A special, special place for sure.”

Conner played eight seasons with Heinz Field as his home stadium, four each for Pitt and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he hasn’t set foot on that turf since January 2021, and Sunday, he will have a stall in the visitors’ locker room for the first time when the Steelers host Conner’s Arizona Cardinals.

“There is a lot of love in the city,” Conner told reporters in Arizona this week. “I’ve got a lot of respect for the people there.”

Conner was named to the Pro Bowl once each for the Steelers (2018) and the Cardinals (2021), the latter of which his first season in the desert.

Conner totaled 2,302 rushing yards, 3,265 yards from scrimmage and 26 touchdowns over 50 games for the Steelers. Since joining the Cardinals, he has added another 2,060 yards rushing, 2,771 from scrimmage and 28 touchdowns.

Sunday’s game will be his first against any Pittsburgh-based pro or college team.

“I’m just going to come to play,” Conner said. “If it was the following year, maybe there would have been more to it. But I’ve been a Cardinal for a while now. Just going to play my game, do what I do and try to put my best on the field like I always do.”

That best has been plenty good enough throughout Conner’s football career, particularly his lengthy stay in Pittsburgh. As a sophomore at Pitt in 2014, Conner’s 26 rushing touchdowns set an ACC record and earned him All-America status and the ACC Offensive Player of the Year award.

By the time he left Pitt, Conner’s college career would include 3,733 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns. But it was what happened during his junior season in 2015 that helped make Conner so legendary to the university and city at large.

During rehab for a torn knee ligament suffered in the 2015 opener, Conner was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After undergoing chemotherapy, he would be declared cancer-free the following year.

Conner’s intangibles certainly helped lead to the Steelers drafting him in the 2017 third round.

“Know and love and have got a lot of respect for James,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s a legitimate tough guy. A big-time competitor. Expecting nothing but his absolute best coming back into Pittsburgh, because I know him.”

Throughout the week in the Steelers locker room, former teammates such as defensive lineman Cameron Heyward (with the Steelers) and running back Qadree Ollison (with Pitt) spoke of the admiration they gained for Conner over their time with him.

It’s clear that has transferred to Arizona.

“He’s a guy that you can count on, on and off the field,” Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said. “He’s experienced a lot in his life, so he’s a very smart, intelligent dude. But just to be able to bounce things off him back and forth, and then to be out there on the field with him, it’s nothing like having a guy next to you or going to bat with a guy that you know he’s got your back.”

Said Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon: “The respect that (the Steelers) have for him and the respect that we have for him, he’ll treat (Sunday) like any other game, but he’ll be juiced up.”

Likewise “juiced up” are the nine players and several coaches remaining from the time Conner played on the Steelers.

“I love that guy. How can you not?” said Steelers interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner, whose tenure as the team’s running backs coach dates to when Conner was in his position room. “I love his story. I love how he comes to work every day. He’s a competitor. He’s tough. I love JC. We stay in contact, and I’m looking forward to seeing him this weekend.”