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Pat Narduzzi: 'You Wouldn't Know' James Conner Has Cancer

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – Pat Narduzzi never ceases to be amazed by his star running back.

Pitt football's head coach joined "The Fan Morning Show" on Friday. He was asked about what it's like to be around James Conner as he battles Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Narduzzi said that he's been incredibly impressed by how Conner has carried himself during spring practice.

"He's just a super kid," Narduzzi said. "I mean, you don't even know he's there, to be honest with you. He's not one of those guys that needs the attention. He just wants to play football. He loves the game, he loves being around his teammates, and you wouldn't know that he's going through the battle he's going through."

The inspirational Conner will be throwing out the first pitch at the Pirates' Opening Day game against the Cardinals on Sunday. According to Narduzzi, Conner is feeling very confident about his ability to light up the radar gun.

"He says he's going to throw probably 85 to 90 miles per hour without much work," Narduzzi said.

That being said, Narduzzi doesn't want Conner leaving anything to chance.

"I told [Chris] LaSala and Ox (Tim Enright) our equipment guy, I said make sure you have a couple gloves out there and a ball tomorrow pre-practice warmup," Narduzzi said. "Let's get him throwing a few balls tomorrow during practice, just so we can warm him up, and make sure he has a good show on Sunday."

The interview can be heard here:

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