One of the most inspirational tenures in Pittsburgh sports history soon will come to a end.

Saying he’s been “blessed to have been given the opportunity” to play football, James Conner — one of the greatest running backs in Pitt history and a cancer survivor — announced via his Twitter account Saturday that he will leave school early to enter the 2017 NFL Draft.

“I have given it everything I got and will do it one more time in New York City for my brothers at Pitt,” read a message on a meme that featured Conner’s likeness posted to his verified Twitter account.

Conner’s mother Kelly Patterson told the Tribune-Review on Wednesday that the decision-making process was difficult for her 21-year-old son.

“He would love to stay at school and break some more records, if possible,” she said. “He would have loved to have gone to the (ACC) championship and he loves his teammates, he loves his coach, the whole deal.

“But then it’s like, ‘OK, do you risk staying another year and you get injured?’ Anything can happen and then you miss out on your opportunity.”

His last game at Pitt will at the Pinstripe Bowl against Northwestern in New York City.

Overall, Conner’s 56 all-time touchdowns represent an ACC record, and his 3,701 career rushing yards are second to Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett at Pitt, rising from 10th place at the start of the season.

Conner, who arrived at Pitt from Erie McDowell in 2013 as a defensive end and quickly was moved to running back by then-coach Paul Chryst, has played in 38 games, starting 26. He led the team in rushing two of his three full seasons.

At the end of his freshman year, Conner was named MVP of the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl, rushing for 229 yards and a touchdown — also famously playing a handful of snaps at defensive end in Pitt’s 30-27 victory.

The following season, he rushed for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns and was named ACC Player of the Year.

Primed for another big season in 2015, which might have been his last if other circumstances hadn’t prevailed, Conner suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener against Youngstown State. Two months after knee surgery, he received a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, triggering a grueling stretch of 12 chemotherapy treatments over six months.

He often joined his teammates for early-morning winter and spring workouts this year — sometimes a day after chemo — wearing a surgical mask to avoid infection.

Conner became a national inspiration while at Pitt, appearing on “The Ellen Degeneres Show” in April and writing a well-received article for The Player’s Tribune two months later.

Declared cancer-free in May, Conner returned for training camp in August and scored two touchdowns in the first half of the opener at Heinz Field.

In attendance that day were staff members who treated him at Hillman Cancer Center, all wearing surgical masks in tribute to their patient. The group was led by world-renowned oncologist Dr. Stanley Marks, who Conner has said many times “saved my life.”

Back on the football field, he started all 12 games this season, rushing for 1,060 yards and being named an All-ACC running back for the second time. He was given the Disney Sports Spirit Award on Thursday at the ESPN college football awards ceremony at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. He also was honored with the Brian Piccolo Award as the “most courageous football player” in the ACC.

ESPN college football analyst Jesse Palmer, who worked Pitt’s game against Virginia Tech this season, said he believes Conner “made himself a lot of money this year.”

“James absolutely (will be) a starting running back in the NFL someday,” Palmer said.

Before his cancer diagnosis last year, Conner received a third-round grade from NFL evaluators.

“I don’t know if mere words can adequately express how I feel about James Conner,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “His strength, his courage and his kindness have impacted us all beyond measure. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to be part of his life these past two years.

“James and I have had many conversations about his dreams and aspirations, both in football and in life. We know he will continue to make us all proud as he takes his next step to the NFL.”

In his Twitter statement, Conner expressed how he wants his Pitt career to be remembered.

He wrote, “When they talk about someone who made a positive impact on the program, I hope that they mention my name.”

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.

---

Copyright ©2026— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---