Current Arizona Cardinals and former Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner endured a hard road to get to the NFL level. Injuries are an unfortunately common part of life in athletics, especially football. He tore his MCL in the first game of the 2015 season at the University of Pittsburgh. It was during that rehab process that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The fact that Conner ever made it back on the football field is a testament to his character, will, courage, and determination. It was also a testament to the work and knowledge of all the doctors who worked with him. So, he understood what high school wrestler Xavier Dombkowski was going through when he received the same diagnosis in 2023. That’s why Conner was asked to present Dombkowski with a Courage Award at the Northwest Pennsylvania High School Sports Awards in his hometown of Erie, PA.
Conner may not have understood when he agreed that the name of the award would be a little different. That’s because the award was renamed the James Conner Courage Award by the Erie Times-News. Yes, Conner got to present the award named after him to a high school athlete dealing with the same diagnosis as he did in 2015.
“I just told [Dombkowski] to keep going and that I knew exactly what he’s going through,” Conner said after the ceremony to GoErie.com about what he told the wrestler and the award being named after him. “I like his resilience and just told him all the best going forward. It’s a huge surprise and a huge honor, and I’m thankful for it.”
Despite playing for the Cardinals, Conner still has plenty of love for his hometown, his home state, and Pittsburgh. He had the opportunity to return to Pittsburgh during the 2023 NFL season and spoke glowingly of the city and his time with the Steelers. He is undoubtedly honored to have this award named after him.
And there is no doubt that Conner is deserving of that honor.
