Kenyan V. Conner begins his first season on the Benedict College football staff, serving as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
Coach Conner has made a name for himself at Albany State University and the SIAC. As an assistant football coach last season at Albany State, Conner coached the running backs and was the special teams coordinator for the Golden Rams. In past seasons, he coached successful corps of wide receivers and all skilled positions on offense. While there, he was a viable part of the staff as they won eight SIAC championships and went to the NCAA playoffs ten out of fifteen years.
As a high school football coach, he helped lead Thomas County Central High School to an undefeated 15-0 state championship team in 1997. Conner coached high school football, basketball and baseball in Thomasville from 1997 until 2000. He also directed the Central Middle School Learning Center (alternative school) for grades 6-12.
Conner was also a successful baseball coach at Albany State. In his first season as the head baseball coach, Conner led his Golden Rams to a second-place to the 2011 SIAC championship title. He helped guide the Golden Rams baseball and football programs to countless victories, while serving as a mentor to numerous student-athletes. He has been named SIAC coach of the year in 2013 and 2014 years respectively. In 2014, he led the Rams baseball team to an undefeated conference regular season in which his team was 21-0 in the conference. Prior to his appointment as head coach, Conner had served as assistant baseball coach for nine seasons.
Conner attended Albany State, where he lettered in football and baseball. He was an all conference performer in both sports. During his collegiate career, Conner was a standout wide receiver for the Golden Rams. He earned Most Valuable Player honors for his outstanding performance in the Fountain City Classic in 1991 and 1993. He also won Co-MVP honors in 1992.
Conner also played football with the Albany Warriors, a minor league team in 1996 in which he set records in touchdowns in a season. He plays Georgia-Florida league baseball and city league flag football.
He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Albany State in Health and Physical Education. A Thomasville, Ga., native, Conner is a 1990 graduate of Thomas County Central High School, where he played football, baseball, track and basketball. He is a member of the Thomasville Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist church in Albany, Ga. Conner is married to the former LaTonya Norman and they have a son, Kenyan Jr., and a daughter, Kennedy Arealia. He is the son of Eugene and Charity Conner of Thomasville, Ga. And also has two siblings. (Cheryl Mitchell & Deryl Jones).
