The night before every Arizona football game, Runisha Conley braids her son’s hair.
Conley learned how to braid hair by “having kids and making sure their hair is good throughout the week,” she said.
Conley and her husband, Ghanges Conley, have six children (four sons, two daughters): Malik, Iman, Akeli, Quali, Imari and Nyeli.
Quali Conley, a senior running back and leading rusher for the Wildcats, is named after one half of Reflection Eternal — a hip-hip duo with artist Talib Kweli — and their song, “The Blast.”
Arizona running back Quali Conley (7) hurdles over Northern Arizona defensive back Alex McLaughlin (7) for a first down in the second quarter of their game at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., September 7, 2024.
“All of our kids have catchy names, so we just wanted something a little more different than a normal name, so that’s where it came from,” said Conley’s father.
Conley got his hair braided throughout his childhood, but the pregame tradition with his mother began during his freshman season at Utah Tech — formerly known as Dixie State — in 2020, then at San Jose State and Arizona.
Conley tried to get his hair braided by another person “and they didn’t get it right,” he said. It didn’t have the Mama Conley flare.
“From then on, my mom just kept braiding my hair,” he said. “She’s the only person that I know who can braid my hair, and I’m just very grateful that she drives to every home game, everywhere I went, to come braid my hair.”
Arizona running back Quali Conley, right, celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan.
This week’s hair appointment and pregame ritual before Arizona takes on West Virginia on Saturday in Tucson will have more significance for the Conleys. Not only is it family weekend, the Wildcats’ upcoming game will be dedicated to cancer awareness. Saturday will be the last home game in October, which is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Runisha Conley is currently in her second battle with breast cancer. Her first diagnosis was in 2017, when she was pregnant with her youngest daughter, Nyeli. Runisha said her first bout with breast cancer was “bittersweet” between the treatment and the excitement of the family adding another member.
“With them being so young, it kind of went over their heads,” Runisha said. “Now that they’re older, they’re seeing, ‘Oh, this is what she went through the first time.’”
It’s an eye-opening experience for Quali, who is seeing his mother endure chemotherapy and radiation treatment, “fighting through that,” he said.
“I love my mom. It’s hard to see her struggle like this,” he said while holding back tears. “At the end of the day, I’m here for her and my brothers and sisters.”
Arizona running back Quali Conley dives for the end zone against BYU on Oct. 12.
Added Conley: “Just her going through the chemo and being pregnant, she comes to all of our games. My parents tried to make it to every one of our games. The sacrifices that my parents have gone through for all of their kids, I’m just very grateful. I’m playing football just for them and just trying to make their lives a little bit easier.”
Arizona running back Quali Conley runs over Texas Tech defensive back C.J. Baskerville on a run up the middle earlier this month.
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan sat next to Conley on the mini stage of the press conference room at Arizona Stadium during Tuesday’s media availability, to support the UA running back during a vulnerable moment. On Monday, Brennan said Conley’s “mom is amazing.”
“She comes out every week and braids his hair before every game. It’s a cool ritual that they have,” Brennan said. “I get to see her every Saturday morning. They have a great relationship, they have a great family and they’re leaning on each other. ... We’re checking in on them quite frequently, because I know that’s a challenging thing for anybody.”
The UA players will have the option to wear pink accessories on Saturday, including tape, gloves and towels. The breast cancer awareness theme “means a lot, because I’m going through it right now,” said Runisha Conley.
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez can’t keep Arizona running back Quali Conley from stretching into the end zone for the Wildcats’ only touchdown of the night in the third quarter of their Big 12 matchup on Oct. 5 at Arizona Stadium.
“Just trying to stay strong for him and the rest of our kids. ... It has been hard, but I try not to think about it because I have my kids and my husband,” she added. “Our family is so close. We’re just going to keep going and not dwell on, ‘Oh, I have cancer,’ and what I’m going through. We have to stay positive. Life is going to bring you different storms; it’s how you get out of it. That’s what it’s all about.”
To maintain her glass-half-full mindset, Runisha Conley coaches middle school basketball and track and field in Fresno, California, Quali Conley’s hometown. Runisha Conley, who played basketball at Fresno Pacific University, previously coached girls basketball at Edison High School, the alma mater of former UA great Robert Golden and Arizona cornerbacks coach Chip Viney.
“Just staying positive and thinking, ‘OK, what am I going to leave for my kids?’” said Runisha Conley.
Being a football mom and witnessing her son “become a man” has helped, too.
Arizona running back Quali Conley’s mother, Runisha Conley, is battling breast cancer for the second time. She’ll be in attendance for the UA’s “breast cancer awareness” game against West Virginia on Saturday.
“I see his leadership skills growing,” Runisha said of Quali. “For me, it’s phenomenal to see how far he has come from Dixie to San Jose State and now here.”
Through the trying times, Quali Conley “doesn’t ride emotional waves, up or down,” and is “one of those kids who stays extremely steady,” said Arizona passing game coordinator Matt Adkins. In his lone season at the UA, Conley leads the Wildcats with 93 carries for 500 yards and six touchdowns, along with 25 receptions for 163 yards.
“He is one of if not the most dependable kids on the team. He’s tough. He’s extremely low maintenance. He just works and works. He doesn’t talk a whole lot, but he’s one of the guys you know you can depend on,” Adkins said. “If we ever have something that’s challenging schematically, the easiest answer is to put Q in, because you know Q is going to be able to handle it.
“On top of that, with some of things that he’s been through, he’s also an inspiration to me, with the way that he’s handled (himself). ... These last two years, I’ve been incredibly impressed with the young man that he is. Obviously he’s a fantastic football player, but he’s one of the kids you’re happy that’s in your program.”
For Conley, dependability is “being able to stay on the field for three downs and bring more to the table than just running the ball,” he said. “There’s also blocking and making sure you’re doing the right stuff at the right time.”
Arizona running back Quali Conley (7) gets dumped right after hauling a short pass Texas Tech defensive back Maurion Horn (4) in the first quarter of their Big 12 game, Tucson, Ariz., October 5, 2024.
Whether or not Conley maximizes his dependability on Saturday against West Virginia, playing in front of Runisha Conley for Arizona’s breast cancer awareness game “means so much to me,” he said.
“To show that it’s for my mom, I’m just grateful. ... Just playing for my mom, it’s huge now because the cancer came back,” Conley said.
“Seeing her sit through her pain, her suffering, I’m just giving it all I got.”
