James Conner: A Letter to NFL GMs Posted Apr 20, 2017 Dear NFL GMs: My name is James Conner. I’m a running back who was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania. My sophomore year at Pitt I scored 26 touchdowns and was named ACC Player of the Year. But it’s more likely that you know me for one thing. Cancer. I’m pretty much recognized as “that football player who battled Hodgkin’s and then came back to play the following year.” (The Players' Tribune)