The story of why Connor Myers came to play his football college career at Weber State has little to do with shiny shoes or shiny helmets. The choice was simple, he wanted to play with some people who he knew and felt comfortable being around.

“There were a lot of Oklahoma kids on the team when I got recruited,” Myers said. “I really liked the coaching staff as well, especially Jason Kaufusi who is still coaching here. I think the familiarity with the guys was something that really helped me out.”

The senior defensive tackle enters the season as one of the Wildcats’ team captains, having played in 33 career games and contributed 62 tackles. Even during his freshman year, he recovered a fumble against then second-ranked Montana State. This was the only fumble recovery of his career. Through those countless tackles and battles in the trenches, he feels his greatest accomplishment was given to him by his teammates.

“Being named a captain last year was a real honor for me,” Myers said. “It was just great that my teammates thought that much of me to vote me as captain.”

Myers has been through a coaching rollercoaster, having four head coaches in his playing career. But Myers feels that coach Jay Hill is helping the program return to the prominence they had just a few short years ago.

“The team is more physical, more like the teams of the past,” Myers said. “The teams of the past were known for being tough and I think we are getting there. We are also becoming more disciplined and I think as the season goes on that will show a lot more.”

Hill and his staff inherited a program that had only won four games in the past two seasons. But Kite Afeaki noticed Myers right away as someone that was going to help the turn the team into a winner, even if he wasn’t there to see the fruits of his labors.

“He is a key part of our defense because he brings it every day,” Afeaki said. “He leads by example and doesn’t have an off day which is hard to say about players. He is a coach’s dream because he works hard and is always looking for ways to get better.”

Myers is all about taking care of business when it is game time, but he can always be seen helping out his teammates and having a smile on his face.

“The camaraderie of the guys has got to be my favorite part of the team,” Myers said. “They aren’t just my teammates, they are going to be friends that I have for the rest of my life.”

At the end of the day, Myers will be remembered not only the things he did on the field, but also for his work off the field.

“I hope people remember me as the blue-collar guy who came everyday and worked as hard as he could,” Myers said.

Myers and the Wildcats will play in their home opener on Saturday night, when they host No. 1 ranked North Dakota State at 6 p.m.