How two Vicksburg athletes turned Gator Grit into a brotherhood and a bold new vision

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — On summer mornings in Vicksburg, Mississippi, long before the heavy air settled across the city, the most determined young athletes gathered on the practice field below Vicksburg High School. Those who showed up understood the stakes. There were no shortcuts. No easy routes. No room for the faint of heart.

Because waiting for them were the men who came before them—former Rosa A. Temple and Gator greats who returned home or came out each summer not to receive their glory, but to forge the next generation of champions.

Among those mentors was Samuel Conner, class of 1975, a multisport star whose track and football accomplishments included anchoring a record-breaking VHS relay team whose time still stands decades later. His speed earned him a collegiate career at both Ole Miss and Mississippi State—and later made him a standout wide receiver in the USFL for the New Jersey Generals and the Houston Gamblers where his blistering quickness became his signature.

And among the teenagers shaped by that old school toughness was Johnny Rivers, class of 1980—a highly recruited All-State defensive back whose combination of discipline and talent earned him countless collegiate offers and the opportunity to play at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Today, Rivers and Conner are both in their 60’s, but the brotherhood forged in those grueling Mississippi summers remains strong. More than four decades after their last high school snap, the pair continues to influence athletes nationwide through their businesses, their mentorship, and their unwavering commitment to the Vicksburg athletic tradition.

THE ERA OF CHAMPIONS

The Vicksburg of the 1970’s and early 80’s lived and breathed competition. The Big Eight Conference, the dominant force in Mississippi high school athletics at the time, was a battleground for the state’s elite. Championships weren’t goals: they were expectations.

Conner and many before him helped set that culture. Whether on the football field or on the track, their standards were unforgiving. His relay team didn’t just win—they rewrote school history. And decades later, their record still stands, a testament to their training, intensity, and unmatched speed.

Rivers, even with All-State honors and the attention of division 1 college recruiters, credits Conner’s generation for elevating his mindset.

“It was GOSPEL,” Rivers said. “Every summer, the older athletes came home. They trained us, mentored us, and pushed us way past what we thought our limits were. That was the tradition. They came back for us, and one day we were expected to do the same.”

Workouts routinely stretched for hours—brutal, demanding, and designed to weed out pretenders. “Winning wasn’t a given,” Rivers said. “Your work ethic determined your legacy.”

FROM FIELD BROTHERS TO BUSINESS COLLABORATIONS

That same mentality now fuels the professional lives of both men. Conner is the president of Speed Merchant US, a Texas-based company that specializes in speed training, agility development, and performance enhancement, an arena that taps directly into the trademark explosiveness that once made him one of the fastest athletes in the USFL.

Rivers serves as president of El Paso, Texas–based Sports X, a multi-sport organization that professionally hosts high energy competitive sports tournaments including elite 7on7, male and female flag, outdoor 3on3, baseball training camps, and specialized competitions that showcase amateur athletic talent.

Ask them how they describe their joint programs, and the two laugh before answering in near unison: “It’s as close to a military boot camp as you’re going to get,” Conner says. Rivers adds: “If you’re looking for an autograph camp, you’re in the wrong place. Parents invest. Athletes get the full results of those investment dollars.”

The results speak for themselves. Athletes who train with them don’t just get better, they get tougher, smarter, and more disciplined.

A SUPER BOWL TRIP AND A NEW OPPORTUTNTY

In 2023, Rivers and Conner traveled to Las Vegas to attend Super Bowl LVIII. They were electrified by the overall experience, but something was missing. There was no notable recognition of former Vicksburg High School alumnus Malcom Butler whose last-second interception in Super Bowl XLIX is still viewed as the greatest play in NFL Super Bowl history. The omission stuck with them.

“We talked about it for two days,” Rivers said. “That play changed the outcome of the Super Bowl. How was it not being highlighted”?

Their attention soon turned toward a phrase well-loved by fans. “The Immaculate Interception,” inspired by the famous “Immaculate Reception” from the 1972 NFL playoffs that saw the Steelers’ Franco Harris perform the incredible. The nickname seemed perfect—except—research revealed the term had already been trademarked but later abandoned.

Seeing the cultural and historical value, Rivers and Conner moved swiftly. On September 1, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded them trademark 98931175 for the phrase.

WHAT THE OWNERSHIP OF THE TRADEMARK MEANS

Conner and Rivers emphasize that owning the phrase doesn’t entitle them to the use of NFL footage, photographs, logos, or anything covered by the league and team copyrights.

“That’s why we hired IP (Intellectual Property) attorneys. We’re crystal clear on the lines we are not allowed to cross.”

What the ownership does allow is the creation of original merchandise, branding opportunities, and custom sports art celebrating the historic play. And that’s where Rivers’s evolving project comes into play.

THE RISE OF HIGH END SPORTS ART

Sports X has for the last 10 years expanded into bespoke, handcrafted sports art, a move inspired by Rivers’s desire to offer athletes something much more meaningful and deserving than traditional trophies—balls with the maker’s name appearing larger than the athlete who signed it, items that deflate, crack, fade, or deteriorate over time.

Instead, Sports X began commissioning one-of-a-kind, handmade, high-level, precision craftsmanship works that endure for generations.

“The details and time invested in each piece is enormous,” Rivers said. “But the end result is something unique—something no trophy shop could ever replicate.”

The pieces are created especially for athletes and serious collectors who desire something exceptional that will certainly increase in value. With the trademark in hand, the possibilities for commemorating “The Immaculate Interception” are limitless.

“Imagine a handcrafted art piece honoring that moment,” Rivers said. “Who knows—maybe one day the NFL and the New England Patriots will want to collaborate. It would be a powerful way to honor Super Bowl history.”

A LEGACY CARVED IN WORK ETHIC

For all their accomplishments, Conner and Rivers still point back to the mentors of their youth—the predecessors who returned every summer to push them harder than they thought possible. They are proud products of a Vicksburg tradition rooted in toughness, discipline, and giving back. And to this day, they live by those same principles through their programs, their partnership, and their friendship.

Their journey is one of grit, respect, and commitment to the athletes who come next.