John Edward Conner (born June 8, 1987) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a fullback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

, earning a

2009 College Football All-America Team An All-American team is an honorary sports team for a specific season composed of the best amateur players at each position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "A ...

selection. One of the best fullback prospects in the

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, he was selected in the fifth round by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

. He is nicknamed "the Terminator" because of the name he shares with the

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from the popular movie franchise and because of his aggressive blocking style against defensive players.

Early life

Conner attended Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio, where he was a two-year starter at

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. He rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, as a senior. That year, Lakota West gained an 8–3 record and a berth in the state playoffs. Conner was subsequently named first-team All-Greater Miami Conference and honorable-mention All-Southwest Ohio. Unrecognized as a prospect by the two major recruiting services, '' Rivals.com'' and '' Scout.com'', Conner was not offered an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

, although he received some recruiting attention from Kentucky,

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, and

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, among others. He eventually chose to walk on with the Kentucky Wildcats.

College career

As a

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at Kentucky, Conner appeared in the first three games of the 2005 season on special teams before sustaining a season-ending injury. He received a medical

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and retained the year of eligibility. In his redshirt freshman season, Conner played in all 13 games, starting the first three at fullback. In his sophomore year he also played all 13 games, starting four. He scored four touchdowns and also made two tackles in kick coverage. By his junior year, Kentucky frequently opened with a fullback in the lineup, giving him 11 starts in 13 games. In a game versus

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, Conner set career highs with seven rushes for 26 yards. Prior to his senior season, Conner was named the "best blocking back" in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

in the ''

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'' 2009 preseason edition. After a solid performance throughout the season, Conner earned All-American honors by ''Pro Football Weekly'', which places an extra premium on talent and draft value in the selection process.

Professional career

New York Jets (first stint)

Considered one of the best fullbacks available in the

, Conner was selected in the fifth round (139th overall) by the

. In 2012, Conner struggled with an MCL sprain and hamstring injury, and was released by the Jets on October 17.

Cincinnati Bengals

Conner was signed by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

on December 15, 2012, after the team placed fullback Chris Pressley on the injured reserve list. Conner was released by the Bengals on August 31, 2013. In an episode of '' Hard Knocks'', Bengals coaches stated that though Conner was the best Fullback on the roster, they were keeping

Orson Charles Orson Charles (born January 27, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end and fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, earning first-team All-Ameri ...

due to his special teams play, even going as far as showing Charles game film of Conner after the decision.

New York Giants

After working out with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, Conner was signed to a two-year contract by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

on September 25, 2013, replacing Henry Hynoski, who suffered a fractured shoulder in Week 3 of the regular season.

New York Jets (second stint)

Conner was re-signed by the New York Jets on September 30, 2014 after fullback Tommy Bohanon suffered a broken collarbone.

Buffalo Bills

Conner signed with the

on May 13, 2015, reuniting with his former head coach

Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching positions w ...

. On September 4, 2015, he was released by the Bills.

References

External links

Cincinnati Bengals bioKentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conner, John 1987 births Living people Players of American football from Cincinnati American football fullbacks Kentucky Wildcats football players New York Jets players Cincinnati Bengals players New York Giants players Buffalo Bills players