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Published: Friday, May. 08, 2009 / Updated: Friday, May. 08, 2009 07:32 AM

Hundreds turn out to greet Tega Cay burn victim

Panthers players take back stage to welcome for inspirational teen

FORT MILL -- 

Connor McKemey admittedly was overwhelmed. He didn't expect this.

The TV cameras. The media interviews. The Carolina Panthers stars who sat nearby in his honor.

That Connor seemed just as big a draw as those millionaire athletes was as surprising to him as anything.

“I thought a lot of people were here just to see them,” he said, “but I was wrong.”

The 14-year-old's star was just as bright Thursday at Towne Tavern in Fort Mill during a Meet the Panthers night to welcome Connor home after months of rehab following a December accident that left him burned over 85 percent of his body.

Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, along with players Jordan Gross, Travelle Wharton, Jon Beason and DeAngelo Williams, was on hand to sign autographs and pose for pictures with around 1,000 fans who showed up.

“When you see a kid like Connor who's gone through so much … he should be the hero, not us,” Gross said.

He's back home

Connor returned to his Tega Cay home Tuesday after suffering third-degree burns when an outdoor fireplace erupted at his home just before Christmas. He spent nearly four months recovering at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga., before moving in April to the Levine Children's Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Now, he's home with family and friends.

Connor's fighting spirit has been an inspiration, Delhomme said. It creates a desire for them to go out of their way to be good role models and helps them keep things that happen on the football field in proper perspective, the quarterback said.

“What we do for a living, why it's such a big deal, I don't know,” Delhomme said. “Whatever we can do to give back, we do.”

Since the accident, Connor's family has been deluged with support from the community. Karin McKemey, Connor's mother, said Thursday's event was a chance to say thank you.

“We owe so much to so many people,” she said. “He is a walking testament to the power of prayer.”

Proceeds from the Meet the Panthers night will go to the Tega Cay Fire Department, which Connor's mother credits with saving her son's life. Without the department members who responded to the fire, she said, “We wouldn't have had the miracle to pray for.”

Before the fire, Connor played football and lacrosse at Gold Hill Middle School. With that in mind, Tega Cay Fire Chief Scott Szymanski said he wants the money raised from the event to go toward more department sponsorships of youth sports teams. Szymanski deflected the praise for his department's role in Connor's survival and recovery.

“They're great people,” he said of the McKemeys. “It's really about them, not us.”

The last time Towne Tavern hosted a Meet the Panthers event, about 500 people showed up, owner Dan Holmes said. Thursday, the turnout was at least twice that, he said.

“The Connor element probably took it to another level,” Holmes said.

Panther fans snaked around the building with jerseys, hats, helmets and other items to be signed by the players. Others just wanted to shake hands or get a photo with the defending NFC South champs.

Connor said he knew the turnout would be big, just not this big.

“I think it's great how the whole community came out, all the Panthers players, my friends and family,” he said.

Connor was the quarterback on Gold Hill Middle's football team. Delhomme was asked if he had any advice for his new quarterback cohort.

“Always get good guys in front of you blocking,” he said, motioning to Gross sitting next to him. “And if you're lucky enough to have a Steve Smith, get one of those, too.”

Likewise, Connor was asked if he any advice for Delhomme.

“I think I'll save that for later,” Connor said. “I think he's going to have a good year this year.”