The Connor Neighbors Story

by: Riley Siniard

 

The bearded man with a Mohawk appears on the jumbotron and 103,000 crazy Cajuns start to roar with excitement. The announcer at Tiger Stadium goes through the LSU lineup: “Starting at fullback, from Huntsville, AL, number 43, Connor Neighbors”.

 

He doesn’t play for the spotlight. He doesn’t bask in the glory and the fame. He doesn’t live for the autographs and photo shoots. He plays the game that he loves with passion, tenacity, and toughness. He plays for the name that is on the back of his jersey, the team that is on his helmet, and for the city that raised him.

 

I have decided it is time for Connor Neighbors to receive some recognition and applause for his accomplishments. I am not a sports writer, or really a writer at all. However, Connor and I have been friends since we were 7 years old and we were football teammates from little league thru freshman year at LSU. All in all, we are brothers, which makes me just as credible as the next Joe Schmo sports journalist. See, the Joe Schmo journalist writes about Connor going against his family’s football legacy by not going to play at the University of Alabama- and that’s it. For those of you that don’t know, Connor’s grandfather, Billy Neighbors, was an All-American defensive tackle at Alabama and was a co-captain on the 1961 national championship team. His father, Wes, played center for the Tide in the mid 1980’s. Connor’s uncle, Keith, was on the 1992 national championship team, and Wesley, Connor’s older brother, played defensive back from 2008-2012 and is now a part of the Alabama coaching staff. Joe Schmo interviews Connor and asks him, “Why not Alabama?” or “How big is your family rivalry between Alabama and LSU?” It’s time for the questions to sound more like: “How have you gone from a walk-on to being one of the top fullbacks in the country?” I could tell a few stories from those transition years in between, but for now, here is my explanation of the Connor Neighbors story:

 

Connor was 2^nd Team All-State in high school two years in a row. He was All-Region for three years in a row. All-Area his senior year and a team captain for the Huntsville High School panthers. He led the team in tackles 2 out of the 3 years that he started at middle linebacker. College coaches came to practices and games and loved how Connor played the game of football; he was fearless. Every school had their doubts saying that he was too small, not fast enough, couldn’t jump high enough. All of the camps and combines we went to were statistical showcases. They used the newest technologies and techniques to measure and prove an athlete’s worth at the next level with 40-yard dash times and body measurements. What those machines and stopwatches can’t and did not measure is heart, toughness, and determination.

 

By the time National Signing Day rolled around our senior year, Connor had zero scholarship offers to play football. How he didn’t is still mind blowing to me 4 years later. The defensive coordinator at LSU, Coach John Chavis called Connor and told him that he wanted him to be a preferred walk-on at LSU and earn playing time. That was it. That was all that Connor wanted and needed. He needed 1 school to take a chance on him and give him the opportunity to prove all of the naysayers wrong. And by God, he has done that.

 

When Connor got to LSU they decided to utilize him as a fullback instead of a linebacker. He had to learn a new position and learn the offense as well. He learned enough fast enough to play in the season opener against UNC his freshman year. He has stuck through the good and bad at LSU and he has been through pain and injuries. All the while he never flinched and turned his pains and losses into motivation to be the best fullback in the country.

 

Why not Alabama?

 

The truth is, Connor naturally grew up a big time Alabama fan. I remember going to Tuscaloosa and screaming for the Tide every weekend with Connor and his family. The harder truth is that Connor Neighbors did not abandon his legacy at the University of Alabama; the University of Alabama abandoned Connor and the legacy he had always dreamed to add on to. Connor kept his head up and didn’t complain or cry, and then followed his dream all the way down to Baton Rouge, and then flourished.

 

Is Connor Neighbors crazy?

 

Yes. Craziest SOB I have ever known. But a good kind of crazy, especially for a football player. I remember in January of 2011 at LSU, Connor came in to the locker room one morning for 6 AM workouts. Everyone else was still half asleep on the locker room floor dreading the first workout of the off-season. Not Connor. Connor came rumbling in, headphones blaring, with this wide-eyed crazy look on his face. He walked up to me and asked with excitement, “you ready?” I hesitantly responded, “Yeah, I guess so. Are you?” To which he shot back, “Man, I didn’t sleep last night. I stayed up watching Ray Lewis hype videos all night, that’s how jacked up I am!” Now, anyone who has played football knows you must be crazy if you can’t sleep because you are excited about an early morning workout in January. If you ask anyone who has played with or against Connor Neighbors, they will tell you he is a guy that you want wearing the same color jersey as you, no doubt!

 

Who is Connor Neighbors?

 

Connor. Bonesaw. Neighbors. Natty Badger. Scuba Steve. Call him what you’d like but no matter what you call him, you’re going to get the same thing- a guy who has the heart of a lion the courage of a warrior and unmatched determination and work ethic. I have a saying about Connor; if you dare him, he will probably do it. If you doubt him, he will make you look foolish. Off the field, he would give a stranger in need the shirt off of his back. On the field, he will knock the shirt off of your back. Off the field, he will joke around and have a better time than anyone. On the field, it’s all business so don’t let him smell the fear.

 

Saturday, November 8, 2014 is when Alabama travels to Baton Rouge to play LSU in a must-win game for both teams if they want to end up in Atlanta representing the SEC West. It is also the last time Connor will have to hear “Roll Tide” a thousand times from friends back home trying to get him riled up (he hates that). Most importantly, it is a milestone in Connor’s success story. It’s senior night. The work, the grind, the passion, the toughness, the determination, the grit, the pure love for the game will be channeled within him for 60 minutes of hard-nosed competition. Connor has never taken a handout; he has blazed his own path demanding respect along the way. He has taken advantage of every opportunity given to him while overcoming small adversities. He never said “can’t” or “won’t” and he laughed at those who did.

 

So as I sit here in my room in Huntsville looking at my walls that are plastered with Alabama football memorabilia, I sit back and reminisce about Connor’s journey and how he has influenced so many others and me in a positive way. My arm hairs are standing up… I have goose bumps. I guess, all I can say about Connor is: He ain’t never been nothing but a winner.

 

 

Riley Siniard

11/5/14

jrsiniard@gmail.com