James Conner Says He's Cancer-Free, Ready for Football on the Players' Tribune

James Conner was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma last December, but the Pittsburgh Panthers running back is ready to hit the gridiron once again after being declared cancer-free in May.  

In a first-person piece for the Players' Tribune, Conner documented his long road to recovery and the arduous processes that accompanied it, and ultimately declared he's primed for a return to the field after missing almost all of last season:

"

When I take the field for the first time this season, it's going to be a wonderful day, an emotion-filled day. But I don't want to take all the attention. It's a team game. Right now we're in summer workouts and we're all out there lifting weights and running sprints. Together. This is not going to be James Conner versus Villanova.

I'm going to be alongside my brothers, and we're going to play as a team on September 3.

Make no mistake about it, though, I'm going to embrace every moment — the pregame meal, the team movie, the bus ride, everything. And I'm definitely looking forward to that first stiff-arm.

"

While Conner's diagnosis was revealed last December, he was ruled out for the 2015 season following just one game after he suffered a torn MCL in his right knee that required surgery. 

The bruising back revealed he was in remission six months later, and a video of the moment Dr. Stanley Marks gave him the news popped up online shortly thereafter: 

But even before the announcement, Conner returned to the practice field in February and joined his teammates for a training session, as head coach Pat Narduzzi documented on Twitter: 

During a recent meeting with reporters, graduate transfer quarterback Nathan Peterman explained that he's excited to see what Conner can do when he returns to game action, per ASAP Sports:

"

It's going to be awesome. Just seeing his work ethic while he still had cancer and was beating it, as well as fighting to be the best player he can still be while he's got cancer, to now where he's completely recovered, trying to get back in shape. It's been awesome to witness that. I know it will be a special moment once he gets that first touch, and for all of us to get inspiration from him that first day, really throughout the summer with how great a competitor he is.

"

Given the way Conner imposed his will on opposing defenses during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, his comeback should help spark Pitt's offense throughout the 2016 season. 

The 6'2", 240-pounder rushed for 799 yards and eight scores as a freshman, and he truly broke out the following year when he posted 1,765 rushing yards and an ACC-best 26 touchdowns on the ground as he shined in the national spotlight. 

Now, it appears he's ready to do so once more. 

"Once I get my first carry, then it'll be like, OK, I'm back," Conner wrote. "Then it's just game time. Then, finally, it will be all about playing football again."