Friends, family mourn Springdale grad James Conley who captained 1964 Michigan Rose Bowl winner

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Wednesday, January 29, 2025 | 4:34 PM


James Conley is fondly remembered in the Michigan football community for his contributions as the captain of the 1964 Big Ten championship team that went on to win the Rose Bowl.

Conley remained closely connected to the football program, the university as a whole and the surrounding region for the next five-plus decades as an ambassador, donor, friend and businessman.

While he was firmly entrenched in the area in and around Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan, friends and family said he never forgot his Springdale roots.

“He loved Springdale, and it was still a huge part of his life,” James’ son, Rob Conley, said. “We were always back for something. He would help host a golf outing every year that would raise money for scholarships for the basketball team. He also donated money back to the school for the football program during his best years of working.”

James Conley, a 1961 Springdale graduate and three-sport Dynamos standout, died Jan. 17 of failing health, which included the effects of a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

He was 81.

“It was pretty much a challenge the past six months to a year,” said Kevin Lloyd, a 1988 Springdale graduate and lifelong friend of the Conley family.

“His short-term memory was shot, but his other memory banks were full. His long-term memory was spot on, and he could remember a story from way back in the day.”

Rob Conley said he’s grateful for the outpouring of support since his father’s passing.

“There have been so many people to reach out with stories on how my dad impacted their lives or just the joy he brought to their lives,” he said.

“Some talked about watching him play football, what he did in the community once he left football, or whatever it was.”

Annamarie Conley, Jim’s wife of more than four decades, recalled Jim’s love of his hometown pro football team while living in Detroit Lions country.

“In this family, we had to be big Steelers fans,” Annamarie said with a laugh. “I probably went to more Steelers games than Lions games. He instilled that into my daughter (Rachel) and son (Rob). He would love to go to games when he could get tickets. We had friends in the Pittsburgh area who would have tickets, so that was fun.”

Born in New Kensington, Conley made a name for himself as a student-athlete at Springdale where he was a four-year letterman in football and a three-year letterman in basketball and soccer.

He earned All-WPIAL and third-team all-state football laurels. The Dynamos boys basketball teams were a combined 48-3 his junior and senior years.

Those prep athletic successes formed the foundation for a resume worthy of inductions into the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame and the Allegheny Valley School District Hall of Fame.

“He had such success in the recruiting process, making it from Springdale all the way to Michigan,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd’s father, former Springdale Mayor Ken Lloyd, and James Conley were best friends growing up in Springdale. The families grew up together and vacationed together every summer.

Kevin Lloyd said he was grateful to accept his first “real job” with Conley’s sales agency in Dearborn, Mich., after he graduated from West Virginia in 1993.

“I always found it amazing, with all the many great things he did, for a school like Michigan to take notice of a small-town kid like Jim,” Lloyd said.

“He was one of the smartest persons I’ve ever met. He definitely took advantage of all his opportunities. He made Springdale proud. Everybody who knew him had so much respect for him.”

Michigan in 1964 lost only one game by one point, 21-20, to a Purdue team led by future Super Bowl champion Bob Griese. It featured 16 players who would go on to play professional football.

The Wolverines defense posted three shutouts and gave up only 83 points in 10 games.

Michigan defeated rivals Michigan State and Ohio State on its way to the Big Ten championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

The Wolverines dominated Oregon State in Pasadena, Calif., winning 34-7.

It was a complete turnaround from 1962 and ’63 when Michigan won a combined five games.

Conley, a senior in the 1964 season, was one of several Michigan defensive players to earn All-Big Ten recognition.

“I didn’t have size, strength, or speed, so I played all on heart. All on heart. That’s what the team needed,” Conley said in an article posted on MVictors.com the day of his death.

Greg Dooley, a Michigan professor and football historian, eulogized Conley on a radio broadcast upon learning of his death.

“There are a lot of great memories of this man,” Dooley said. “I got to know his story on the field. I got to tell that story. But I also got to know him off the field.

“We use the word ‘family’ so much. We lost a legend in the Michigan football family. Not only is he a historic figure for what he and his team did on the field, but also for his impact on this community, the legacy he left with his family, his beautiful wife, Anna, his kids, Robbie and Rachel, Timmy Adams, his godson, and just so many out there that he touched. There is a heavy heart, but the way he was, he was larger than life. He lit up a room.”

After his time as a student at Michigan, Conley became a successful businessman in the region in and around Ann Arbor.

He helped secure a patent to quickly process leather, which enabled his firm to become a major supplier to the auto industry for much of its leather needs.

Lloyd said Conley always looked to give back with his time, talents and financial ability.

“Early on after playing, he was an ambassador for the program to the players who would come in each year,” Lloyd said.

“As time went on, he was more of a fan, and he rarely missed a home game, especially Michigan State and Ohio State. He was a man about town in Ann Arbor socially and in business.”

Conley was a past president of the Michigan Alumni Club of Detroit. He also gave back to the Springdale community by underwriting scholarships for Springdale High School and sponsoring the Conley-Drennan Summer Basketball League in the school district.

Michigan has recognized Conley multiple times for his volunteer work and financial support.

Beginning in the late ’90s, James and Annamarie Conley established an endowed scholarship to the Wolverines football team that would be presented each year to a player on the defensive side of the football.

“We donated one time, and it will go on forever,” Annamarie Conley said. “The university takes money and invests it.

“We left it up to the school and the selection committee, but Jim had a hand in establishing the (selection) criteria. They then let us know who they selected. Sometimes we would get a picture, and we would find out the information about the player online. There used to be a meet-and-greet where we would go meet with the recipient and get to know them.”

The 1964 Michigan team held its 60th reunion in October, and the Conley family, including James, were there to commemorate that special season.

“I know that when he was sitting at the table and would see certain players or friends, he would ask me to have that person come over and talk to him,” Annamarie Conley said.

“He remembered faces. Many of his friends would reach out to him throughout his Alzheimer’s battle. It was a good evening, but it also was a tough evening. I am glad I was able to get him there. Being the captain of the team, I felt it was important for the team to have him there.”

Said Rob Conley: “He would be able to remember stories and people. At the reunion when people would come up and say hi to him, you could see his eyes get bigger when he would recognize who it was.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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