antfullpac

Jason Bean/RGJ “You have to be real secure to be seen in a car like this,” reads the sticker in white lettering against a blue background. That van, which Conaway has had since he was a 16-year-old high school student, has been one of the few constants in the punter’s crazy college journey, which included stops at five schools in a 2-year-old period.

That van also has been the rallying point and a bonding mechanism for the Wolf Pack's special teams players. “We have a seating chart in the van,” long snapper Wes Farnsworth said with a smile.

“We’ve carved our names into the doors where our seats are. Those carvings aren’t going anywhere.

I think it fits him really well. It’s not perfect. It has its dings and dents and stuff.

But he really likes it.” More: Austin Corbett’s unlikely rise puts him on the brink of the NFL More: Carson Strong shows up early in effort to be Pack's QB of the future More: The full list of local prep football players to be picked in the NFL draft More: Yerington's pride and joy: Nevada duo making their small town proud A chatterbox with a ponytail, Conaway actually loves his van. A hand-me-down from his parents, the van, which Ford stopped making in 2006, was originally purchased in Colorado Springs, Colo., where Conaway’s dad was an Air Force pilot. The car was handed down to Conaway’s older sister, who got an upgrade after a year. When Conaway got his license, he was gifted the van and told he'd get a new car if he went a year without an accident.

His parents have tried to buy him a newer and more reliable car since then. Conaway has resisted. The van, you see, is like a sibling to the quirky Conaway. “It’s the best hand-me-down of all time,” Conaway said of the van that has logged 170,000 miles and taken him to Oklahoma, Oregon, Kansas, California, Nevada and everywhere in between.

“It’s the last model of a minivan Ford ever made, so it’s an instant classic. It’s worth nothing now. It’s technically totaled from hail damage. The air conditioning in the back doesn’t work. People have carved their names in it. There’s a big dent in the side after a pole came out of nowhere.

The amount of resin from the stickers would take like five years to come off.” While its Kelly Blue Book value is about $200, the van is priceless to Conaway. It’s the van that helped him break the ice when he joined the Wolf Pack last summer.

A transfer from Golden West College, Conaway was new to the team. He knew the team’s kicker, Spencer Pettit, as well as Farnsworth from special teams camps during their prep careers. But neither player had met Conaway’s van until it rolled into Reno last year. “It’s such an enticing vehicle because of the character,' Conaway said. 'And I would say I have an outgoing personality, so people are almost drawn to it and want to experience it as soon as they see it.' Jason Bean/RGJ The seating chart has grown since Conaway joined Nevada. Pettit always sits shotgun.

Farnsworth sits behind Pettit. Karson Thomas, another long snapper, sits behind Conaway. And kickers Ramiz Ahmed and Troy Calderara and punter Rhett Purling take the back row. With three more specialists slated to join the team in 2018, Conaway assured the newcomers there will be a seat for them when they arrive. “The back seats fold all the way down, so at that point you’re seating 10 comfortably,” said Conaway, adding most of their trips are to Chick-fil-A. Special teams coach Tommy Perry has never joined the septet in the van – “I’ve been offered to be in the van,” he joked. “I’m not going in the van.

In my family, we don’t take shots, like tetanus, so I wouldn’t feel 100 percent comfortable in the van.” – and laughed when told somebody was doing a story on the special teams vehicle. Conaway’s love of his van is both silly and genuine.

He’s serious when he says it has been one of his constants, along with his girlfriend and Pettit's friendship, throughout the years. A soccer player originally, Conaway joined his high school football team in Oklahoma City and was a standout kicker. His college career started at Oregon, his dream school.

Things didn’t work out there, so he transferred to Oklahoma State, where he tore both biceps lifting weights. He then went to Kansas, his third college in one year, but got cut from the team. Not wanting to quit the sport, he transferred to Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif., his van taking him to each location. So, how’d he get to Nevada? At the conclusion of the Wolf Pack’s spring camp last year, a reporter – this reporter – sent a tweet saying Nevada didn’t have a punter on its roster.

Conaway saw the tweet. “I read that and sent a screenshot to Spencer and said, ‘You guys don’t have a punter right now?’” Conaway recalled.

“So I sent him my film and when I visited here, I loved Reno, the surrounding mountains, the campus, downtown is cool, they had a good beat writer. All of the boxes were checked.” In his first season at Nevada, Conaway was on the final candidate list of the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s top punter, after averaging 39.7 yards per attempt. In addition to being effective on the field, he’s also bonded the special teams, which often practices by themselves on the field adjacent to the offense and defense, not quite outcasts but also not exactly a full part of the team. Special teams' practice can be repetitive and tedious.

One of the fun stories in Wolf Pack lore is when the team’s starting kicker and punter grabbed a beer at the Little Waldorf Saloon while watching the MLB playoffs during practice many years ago. Nobody noticed they had left. The specialists can be easy to overlook, but Conaway keeps things live and fun for that group on and off the field. Perry recalled the time Conaway and the specialists brought the van over to his house to help him unpack after he moved to town.

Conaway sought out Perry’s 8-year-old daughter so he could tutor her with her math homework. “I heard this once,' Perry said. 'The definition of being a nerd is just being really, really interested in very specific, obscure topics. I don’t mean it in a negative way, but he’s very interested in very obscure, specific topics. He brings a very unique energy to the group. He always smiles, he’s always optimistic.

Whenever I push, he doesn’t buck. He takes it and tries to bring everybody along with him. If I give him something to be in charge of, he does it. He is the definition of a great teammate.” Perry, who has coached five All-American specialists, said chemistry is one of the most underrated aspects of playing good special teams. He credits Conaway – and his van – for helping establish that at Nevada, which largely struggled on special teams last season but expects to improve in 2018.

“I try to have fun in everything I do,” Conaway said. “That’s what college is all about. When kids transfer in, I try to say hi to them as much as I can. It’s rough not knowing anyone. I’ve transferred a couple of times, so I know what it’s like.

Transferring is not as easy as it sounds. It can be a tough for some kids.” As accommodating as Conaway is, the van is still for exclusive company. It’s for special teams players only – unless somebody needs a ride to class, at which point exceptions can be made. While his van, which Conaway described as barbecue sauce in color, can be hit or miss in certain aspects – “You’re playing Russian roulette with the windows going back up,” Pettit joked – he’s not giving it up any time soon. “Absolutely not,” Conaway said. “I could not get a different car. My parents have offered to get me a different car.

Sport Punter View Topic We May Be Different

We’re in Reno and it doesn’t do great in the snow. But I’ve never understood getting a new car before you need one. It’s a waste of money.

It’s going to die on me before I get rid of it.” Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at cmurray@rgj.com or follow him on Twitter @MurrayRGJ.

Huh, AP Chicago — The Detroit Lions' ego wasn't the only thing beat up in a 34-22 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The team dealt with multiple injuries, with some players returning to action while others couldn't. One player, punter Sam Martin, left the stadium in an ambulance. It remains unclear what precipitated the postgame trip to the hospital for further evaluation. Martin finished the contest, attempting a pair of onside kicks in the fourth quarter.

His final punt, in the third quarter, was uncharacteristically short, going just 37 yards, aided a few bounces. 'Sam Martin was taken to a nearby hospital shortly following the conclusion of the game for an injury evaluation,' the Lions said in a team statement. 'He will return to Detroit with the team.' In addition to Martin, wide receiver Marvin Jones suffered a knee injury, which prevented his return to action.

He went down hard on an incomplete pass deep down the right sideline, a play where the Bears were flagged for illegal contact. More: Quick reads: Bears' Trubisky torches Lions secondary Jones tried to return after being evaluated by the training staff, but was told to return to the sideline. After initially being ruled as questionable for the remainder of the contest, he was eventually ruled out. Tight end Michael Roberts also never returned after suffering a shoulder injury in the second quarter. That injury potentially leaves the Lions precariously thin at the position.

Prior to the game, Luke Willson was scratched with a shoulder injury of his own. Running back Kerryon Johnson also left the game briefly after aggravating the ankle injury that hindered him this week during practice. He managed to return, scoring Detroit's final touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jdrogers@detroitnews.com Twitter: @JustinRogers.