J.R. Conrad

James Robert Conrad (born February 2, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

After his NFL career, Conrad coached both high school football and arena football, most notably with the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz. He was named after two of his uncles.

Conrad is a member of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and grew up in Indian housing in Miami. With neither of his parents present in his early life, he was raised by his maternal grandmother. After his grandmother was placed in a nursing home due to Parkinson's disease, Conrad lived with his uncle, a Marine who had served in the Vietnam War.

During Conrad's sophomore year of high school, he moved in with his mother in Fairland, Oklahoma. He graduated high school in 1992 with a senior class of just 18 students.

Conrad was recruited to play for the Missouri Tigers by coach Andy Reid, but ultimately chose to attend the University of Oklahoma to play for the Oklahoma Sooners, due to his respect for Oklahoma assistant coach Merv Johnson.

1994 season

Conrad was moved to right tackle in 1994 and started every game at the position.

Head coach Gary Gibbs announced he was stepping down from his position just before the Sooners' final regular season game, a matchup against No. 1 ranked Nebraska on November 25, 1994. Conrad was among the Oklahoma players who believed Gibbs had been unfairly criticized for factors out of his control, and that he had done his best to elevate the team from the troublesome state it had previously been in. The Sooners ultimately lost the Nebraska game, 13–3.

Conrad also started at right tackle in the 1994 Copper Bowl against Brigham Young University, which the Sooners lost by a score of 31–6.

1995 season

Following the departure of coach Gibbs, Oklahoma hired Howard Schnellenberger as head coach. Schnellenberger, who only lasted a year at Oklahoma, was markedly different from Gibbs, and had Conrad lose 50 pounds prior to the 1995 season, bringing him down to about 275 pounds.

Professional football career

New England Patriots

Conrad was selected by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 1996 NFL draft. The team waived him on August 25, but re-signed him to the practice squad two days later on August 27.

New York Jets

On September 22, 1997, Conrad signed with the New York Jets as a free agent. This was his second year playing under coach Bill Parcells, as the two had both been with the New England Patriots in the previous season. The game went awkwardly for Conrad, and the Jets lost by a score of 31–20. Duffy returned as the starter for the following week's game against the New England Patriots. Conrad finished the 1997 season having only made one start, and saw action in twelve games.

Conrad suffered a back injury during offseason training before the Jets' 1998 season.

Time off from football (1998–2000) After his injury, Conrad had to return to Oklahoma and had back surgery in 1999. He took some time off from playing football following the injury and believed his NFL career was likely over.

He was selected by the Barcelona Dragons in the 14th round of the 1999 NFL Europe draft, but never signed with the team.

While watching an Oklahoma high school all-state game, Conrad suddenly received a call from the Dallas Cowboys, inviting him to come to training camp. He initially did not believe it was a legitimate request for him to actually play with the team, as he had not been involved in football in about two years but was cut by the team only twenty days later on August 21. Despite being cut by the team, the opportunity to play with NFL greats like Larry Allen turned Conrad's opinions on the world back around. "I'm no longer mad at God, I'm no longer mad at football," he said in a 2022 interview, in reference to his feelings at the time. He coached there through the 2003 season.

Tuttle High School In 2004, Conrad served as an assistant coach at Tuttle High School in Tuttle, Oklahoma. a developmental arena football team that was coming off a successful debut season. In 2005, the team attained the same 10–6 record as the previous year before suffering a first-round playoff exit.

In 2006 and 2007, the Dawgz continued to be successful. They made two more playoff appearances, despite having a losing record in 2007 amid a season-ending injury to safety Jon Holland, described as the "cornerstone of [their] defense."

The 2008 season did not go as well for the Yard Dawgz, who got off to a 1–5 start and finished 6–10, marking the only time the team missed the playoffs. He became head coach in 2011 but stepped down in April 2014, citing a desire to focus on his own children's athletic development. Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Owen Condon, and Nebraska Cornhuskers offensive lineman Hunter Anthony.

He was inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.