Hall of Fame
During his playing career, Stephen Conner was one of the nation’s best goalkeepers in NCAA-II, he helped the Panthers to a conference championship, and the numbers he posted are still around the top of Drury’s record book.
Conner came to Drury from Glendale High School in Springfield, where he was a two-time All-State performer.
After seeing action in four games as a freshman, Conner moved into a starting role as a sophomore and promptly took ownership of the net. He was the GLVC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and helped the Panthers to a conference championship that season. Conner posted a 0.49 goals-against-average, a mark that still stands as a Drury single-season record and was the fifth-best GAA in NCAA-II that year. The Panthers went 21-2 that year and they advanced to the second round of the national tournament.
Conner was also a Second Team All-American for that season in addition to earning All-Midwest Region and All-GLVC honors.
He ranked among the national leaders in goals-against-average again the following season, posting a 0.82 GAA on his to another all-conference award. Conner was an all-region selection and named All-GLVC for the third straight season as a senior in 2011 and his 0.78 GAA ranked in the nation’s top 15 for the third year in a row.
In his three years as the primary starter in goal, Conner recorded 30 shutouts, including 14 during the 2009 season. He owns three of Drury’s top four goals-against-averages for a single season, including his record season of ’09. Conner posted a career record of 42-17, and his career 0.71 GAA ranks as the best in Drury history among goalies with more than 30 career games.
Conner graduated from Drury in 2012 with a degree in Criminology and still resides in southwest Missouri with his wife Jessica. He has worked for the Ozark Police Department for more than a decade and is currently assigned to the Special Investigations Unit. Stephen enjoys spending time on their family farm, hunting, hiking and being a father to his daughters.
