POCATELLO, Idaho –
Tanner Conner had a dream to play college football and run track. He wasn't going to let anything get in his way of accomplishing that dream. The reigning Big Sky Conference Outdoor 110m hurdles champion has carved his niche at Idaho State as a wide receiver and sprinter on the track and field team.
Conner comes to Idaho State from Kent, Washington where he attended Kentridge High School. All through out high school he never specialized in one sport. He played football in the fall, basketball in the winter and ran track during the spring.
One of the biggest influences in Conner's decision making and ultimately cementing his dream to be a dual sport athlete in college was his father, Andy, who played Division 1 football at the University of Oregon and had a brief career in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams.
"One thing he said he wished he had done was run track," Conner said. "He wished he could have taken advantage of how good he was at track and utilized those skills for a team. He told me, 'If you love both go for it. If you don't do both you will never know how it will turn out.' I have been going for it and it has been working out pretty well."
During Conner's search for a school, he wanted to find a place that would let him compete in track and have the option to play football, which led him to Idaho State on a official track visit.
"I really wanted to play football and run track in college," Conner said. "It was a dream I had. I was recruited to a few schools like University of Washington, Montana, MSU, and here at ISU for track but I did not have any football offers. I still had not given up the dream of being able to play football and run track.
"On my recruiting trip I asked coach (Hillary) Merkley if I could talk to the football coaches about the opportunity to play here. She was on board and took me up to the coaches' offices where I showed them my highlight video. Later that day while eating lunch with coach Merkley the football coaches called me and said they wanted to talk with me, which later turned into them offering me a scholarship right then and there."
Now the junior is currently ranked second in the Big Sky Conference in the 60 meter hurdles. He is chasing a former high school competitor in Ben Doucette of Idaho.
"I used to race Doucette in high school," Conner said. "He was 3A and I was 4A so we never raced each other at the state meet but I am excited to chase him in the coming weeks."
Conner also talked about his goals for this indoor season and what it would mean for him to bring home another conference title.
"I really want to win the Big Sky again," he said. "I think for me winning the 60 hurdles would be a huge accomplishment because I'm not necessarily that short of a distance guy. It takes me a while to hit my full speed. In the 110 hurdles and even the open 100 I have a lot more confidence in my ability to hit my stride. Winning this would boost my confidence and hopefully I can drop under the eight second mark this indoor season."
Conner is doing something that most athletes are unable to do. During a time that most athletes pick one sport and specialize due to lack of opportunity or coaches advising against playing multiple sports, Conner is helping pioneer a new wave of multisport athletes.
Today the track team has
Tanner Conner,
Michael Dean,
Cephas Harden , and
Zach Wright. Prior to this year other football players who have participated in track and field were Kyle LeBlanc,
Fondereaux Wilson, and
Kieran Yancy.
"With my original deal to play football and run track, others have been wanting to do the same," Conner said. "I may have helped other athletes see that it is possible to do both, and opened that door. There are a lot of guys on the fence and hopefully this group of guys can continue to show them its possible to do both."
Conner will be competing this weekend in Nampa, Idaho at the Boise State Jacksons-Nike Invitational on February 1-2.
