Saturday's James Conner youth football camp at McDowell sells out, but fans can watch
James Conner is years removed from his last football game with a western Pennsylvania team.
The McDowell graduate hasn’t competed for the Trojans since 2012. He hasn’t worn a University of Pittsburgh uniform since 2016, nor one for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2020.
Conner, though, remains influential among local fans and families based on the projected turnout for Saturday’s youth football camp at Gus Anderson Field. The NFL running back, who’s on hiatus ahead of his third season with the Arizona Cardinals, will host the camp at his high school alma mater for consecutive summers.
That event, also for the second straight year, is sold out. The session for students ages 7-13 will run from 9 to 11 a.m., followed by the ages 14-17 session from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
The public can watch for free from McDowell's bleachers.
Although Conner hosted such camps before last year, they were held in the Pittsburgh area because of his direct ties to the Panthers and Steelers. His 2022 camp at McDowell, something he said he long sought to do, occurred the summer after his first season with Arizona.
'Keep going': From McDowell to Pitt to the NFL, James Conner heeds his own advice
Career with Cardinals
Conner's initial year with the Cardinals — one of the NFL’s charter franchises — saw him rush for a team-high 752 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also was named to the Pro Bowl.
The Cardinals signed Conner to a three-year contract extension based on his performance. Last season, he totaled 782 rushing yards and seven scores throughout the Cardinals' disappointing 4-13 season that ended with coach Kliff Kingsbury being fired.
Conner has rushed for 3,836 yards, a 4.2 yards per carry average, and 44 touchdowns in his six-year career. He had a career-best 973 yards on 215 carries in 2018 with the Steelers. He also has caught 207 passes for 1,638 yards and eight TDs in his career.
Jonathan Gannon, the defensive coordinator for the 2022 NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, was hired to lead Conner and the rest of the 2023 Cardinals. Arizona’s upcoming schedule includes a Nov. 5 game at Cleveland and a Dec. 3 game at Pittsburgh.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: James Conner's youth football camp sold out for second straight year
