Connor was a two-time all-state football player for the Tigers. He was honored as a lineman as a junior and a fullback as a senior. He started on the ‘48 basketball team which ended Grand Island’s state record win streak in the district final and on the ‘49 team which played in the Class A state championship game. In track he was Class A shot put state champion and Big Ten Conference champ in the discus. He played football at Nebraska and was selected all-Big 7 in 1953 and won NU’s Tom Novak award as a senior. He played two years in the Canadian Football League. He is a member of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.