- [Joe Tessitore] Second and three,
Ole Miss needs to get in a rhythm here.
And Walton gets only a yard there,
so we'll be third and about two
as Chucky Hunter clogged up the middle.
Robert Conyers,
who's being attended by the medical staff.
Ole Miss can not afford more damage
to their offensive line.
- Two years ago during the Peach Bowl
you know, he kinda injured his other knee
you know he had some minor stuff during the season,
but during the Peach Bowl,
we came back in town he says,
"man, this thing's bothering me."
So we kinda looked into it further
and we scoped his knee
and then unfortunately in spring
he got rolled up, injured the same knee again,
just in a little different spot.
So we had to scope him again.
So that's obviously two surgeries
within about, you know, four months.
And then he worked hard to get back with that,
he started the season, was doing well
and then in Memphis he tears his ACL on his opposite knee.
So, basically in less than a year
he's had two operations on one knee
and one operation on the other.
- [Announcer] Let's check with Rich
we've got a Rebel down, that's Robert Conyers too,
he's been fighting that knee injury, Richard.
- [Richard] He really has, and you know just banged up
cumulatively probably over his career
and throughout this season.
He's rolling around and really in some pain.
Looks like they're looking at his left knee.
- You know Rob's had, he's had more injuries
than you would wish on anyone in this game.
And those are very disappointing moments
when you've battled back
and all of the sudden something happens again.
He's had more than his share.
- I had this one happen in Memphis
and the other one, I just kinda had a little bit
of lingering bruising issues and stuff.
So it's getting better though.
that's the biggest one so far.
Little battle scars.
- You know, everyone has a finite number
of games and practices they're involved in,
so when that gets taken away multiple times,
a lot of people do get down.
So he has had a tough road, but he does work hard.
You know, he's another guy that in the weight room
with Dom that they've done a good job of
putting a program together for him.
- Coach Dom the weight coach does a great job.
I mean everyday it's something new,
I mean there's not a day goes by
that I'm not sore from his workouts,
or same thing with Pat and Hill,
I mean they do a great job.
- [Narrator] Through hard work and dedication
during his rehab,
Conyers was able to work his way
back into the starting rotation
by the beginning of the 2016 season.
Picking up where he left off, at the center of the line.
(intense music and cheering)
- Man I could go on and on with individual efforts,
but I'd start with Robert Conyers.
You're talking about a guy
that gives everything to a program,
I mean he has three knee surgeries,
hasn't practiced all week,
does not need to really play tonight,
and jumps out there and gives us his 20 to 30 snaps.
You know guys like that, the resiliency
and fight paid off in a 60 minute SEC road battle.
- [Narrator] Through the injuries and the rehab,
Conyers was physically stronger.
Emotionally, however, he had been carrying
the memory of former teammate Park Stevens
for the past four years.
- Park was a junior college transfer
that came in, was there for the spring practice.
You know, kinda like one of the freshman early enrollees.
And him and Park hit it off, Robert and Park did.
- He was this big goof,
this big six foot nine, six foot eight,
just goofball that's running around here,
and cracking jokes to everybody.
He's one of those guys that you feel like you knew forever.
- Park and Robert had just an instantaneous relationship.
They bonded immediately,
they have a lot the same personality,
so many of the same mannerisms.
I still see mannerisms in Robert,
and I think, gosh, that's Park.
- They just, they hit it off in a way
that it's hard to describe.
They were so much alike it was almost like
their moms had them and put one up for adoption
and the other one wound up with the other family.
- I was living in the dorm,
and he had just gotten here from JuCo,
and he was just like,
"hey, you lookin' for somewhere to live?"
I was like, sure man,
so we got this little two bedroom, two bathroom apartment
over there at the Links,
it was a lot of man in one little house.
- You know your roommate is the guy you go through it with.
You know, when you have your problems
or you're late and they're trying to wake you up
and get you to a workout.
Robert probably took Park under his wing,
you know, a guy coming from junior college,
but they did have a special relationship
and any time that that happens with a roommate,
it's tough.
- It was July 3rd, and we had taken
gone on the first family vacation without Park ever,
because he was back doing his thing at Ole Miss.
He had workouts and class and all.
- We were celebrating Gale's birthday,
her birthday's July 1st.
We waited til we got to the mountains with the grandkids
to actually have the birthday party and the cake.
- I posted a picture of Dean
in the hot tub with our grand babies,
and the caption under it was, "Life is good."
and five minutes later, Dean's brother called us.
- I thought something had happened to my mom.
I thought maybe he just wanted
it to be told by someone else, to me.
I kept saying, "Is there something wrong with mama?
What's happened?" And all he said was,
"I just need to talk to Justin."
I said, "Well actually, something's not right."
I said, "Tell me what's happened."
And he said, "Dean, he didn't make it."
I said, "What do you mean, 'He didn't make it?'"
He said, "He said Park didn't make it home."
He said, "He's gone."
- It was almost like, instantly, I heard Dean keep saying,
"Actually, I don't understand you, you've gotta talk to me."
And, I just had this feeling
and I looked at him and I said, "The baby's dead,
the baby's gone."
- It's just like the world stopped.
And you just go numb,
you don't know what to say;
but I can remember
hanging up the phone
and going straight upstairs to the bedroom
and pulling out the suitcase,
and start throwing clothes in it 'cause I had to get home.
- My first thought was,
somebody get to Robert.
I knew the relationship the two of them had
and I said, "He's all alone, his parents are in Miami
and we're in Gatlinburg, somebody get to Robert."
and they told me,
"Don't worry, Robert's surrounded by coaches and linemen,
and he's okay."
- Park Coleman Stevens,
at 6'8 350 lbs, the gentle giant was known for his bear hugs
his huge heart and captivating smile.
A stranger to none and friend to all.
Thinking about him,
I mean of the stuff that he's done for us.
Taking care of his parents.
- [Narrator] Still in shock from the tragedy
and compelled to do something more.
Conyers went to coach Luke with a special request.
- I remember that first day back,
walking into the meeting room
and kinda looking around, I was like,
There's gotta be something I could do.
There's gotta be more.
- Robert asked me if he could wear 75,
and I said, Are you sure this is something that you wanna do
because that's a tough thing to do,
to carry on that memory;
but it was something he wanted to do
in honor of Park, and I know that Robert's heart
is in the right place
and he wanted to do it for the right reasons.
- We couldn't ask for a bigger
request to be honored
than the one that Robert gave us, that day.
When he asked to change his number,
and for him to wanna honor Park in the way that he has
and to keep his memory alive,
you can't ask more, as a mom and a dad;
for him to have done what he's done.
- Robert wearing 75 has changed its meaning.
The first game when Robert ran onto the field
there was this feeling of us seeing Park run onto the field.
It didn't take long after that til it wasn't Park,
it was Robert, it was our other son.
It was the person who promised that he'd take care of us
and that he would love us,
and that Park's memory would live on, in him.
- It put's it in perspective for him of,
all this is, is an injury and I can bounce back from this.
- Every time I get hurt or anytime there a step back,
I always think that it could definitely be worse,
it could always be the other side of the coin.
It puts the cap on his playing career, as well as mine.
I feel like, it's an honor just to be out there
and to know that there's somebody else
that means a lot just 'cause of the number I'm wearing
on my jersey.
- As a 18 year old child,
he had to face something most adults can't face.
And he chose to face it by making a promise,
to two people, that he had known less than a year
that he would love 'em, and that he would take care of 'em
and he would always be there for 'em.
And that 18 year old boy, kept that promise.
- I believe that this is Robert's way of carrying Park's,
memory and I think that when he puts that jersey on,
he's representing more than a number.
He's representing himself, but he's also representing
Park and Park's family.
- God's plans are not ours to see
until they're laid out in front of us.
But, Park served his purpose,
in God's eyes.
I think God had a little more work for Robert
and it was to go out there in that number 75
and wear it with pride.
When you look around our house, you see the 75.
You'll see it at the top of our Christmas tree,
you'll see it in pictures
and lot of those pictures may not be of Park,
they may be Robert.
When folks talk about that number, it's not just Park
it's Robert Conyers they're seeing it through.