Chris Conley

Golden Nuggets

• Growing up, his father, Charles, was a member of the United States Air Force. He was born in Adana, Turkey, at Incirlik Air Base.

Golden Nuggets

• Growing up, his father, Charles, was a member of the United States Air Force. He was born in Adana, Turkey, at Incirlik Air Base.

Goldmine

• In addition to his NFL career, Conley possesses a hidden talent as a filmmaker and is listed as a director, writer and producer on three separate short films. In 2014, while he was studying journalism at the University of Georgia, Conley - who is an avid science fiction fan - wrote and directed a Star Wars fan film titled "Retribution", which has a total runtime of 26 minutes and features Conley as the main antagonist, Khari Vion. Conley says he got the inspiration to make the film one night in his dorm room when he was watching lightsaber duels on YouTube. "After about an hour of watching different videos, it hit me: We can do better than this. And by we, I meant myself, the friend I would be dueling and whoever we could find to film two guys hitting each other with sticks," said Conley. The initial idea was to simply film a lightsaber duel but due to his connection with the Georgia foot- ball team, it grew into something much bigger. The project snowballed into creating a film that portrays lessons relevant to both life and football, all while providing entertainment and connection for fans from two different worlds, Star Wars and college football. "That was about a month of countless emails, calls and meetings. A lot of lost sleep, just because of the fact I did a lot of it myself. I didn't have a producer. It was just us. It was a lot of work. I had to explain to people that we were shooting a film. It wasn't going to be three guys running around with a GoPro. It was a 15-man crew with cameras, a jib and a dolly," said Conley.
• In the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Conley debuted a five-minute short film titled "Quar-antime" that he wrote, produced and directed. The film starred him and his wife, Brianna, as a newlywed couple playing themselves and experiencing the on- set of the pandemic together. The film was meant to showcase a relatable viewpoint of the early days of the pandemic and the impacts of isolation on people. According to Conley, he was inspired by the ups and downs of being stuck in the house together during quarantine. "I figured that this experience was common for a lot of people and wanted to share my view of it. Shooting at home was a unique situation since the space was rather small. It made us get creative about creating angles and the illusion of space," he said. The story follows the couple, who end up reliving the same day over and over again, similar to Groundhog Day, and provides the audience with a look at the initial happiness of being together followed by the mundane and potentially heartbreaking nature of self-isolation, even when spending that time with a loved one.

College

• Conley (6-3, 205) was originally drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (76th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. Over his nine-year NFL career with the Chiefs (2015-18), Jacksonville Jaguars (2019-20), Houston Texans (2021-22), Tennessee Titans (2022) and San Francisco 49ers (2023), he has appeared in 117 games (63 starts) and registered 220 receptions for 2,922 yards and 15 touchdowns. Conley has also appeared in eight postseason games (two starts) and recorded 10 receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown. In 2023, Conley appeared in eight games for the 49ers and tallied three receptions for 69 yards. He also appeared in three postseason contests and registered two receptions for 35 yards.
• A 31-year-old native of Dallas, GA, Conley attended the University of Georgia where he played four seasons (2011-14) and finished with 177 receptions for 1,938 yards and 20 touchdowns.