The hard times don’t define you.
They shape you.
And that sentiment couldn’t ring truer for Logan Bonner.
In the bottom third of 2024, the 27-year-old was flooded with bad luck.
Literally.
Following a performance he wasn’t satisfied with in his first CFL start, the quarterback was one of thousands severely affected by the devastating Hurricane Helene.
“Obviously the first start didn’t go how we wanted,” said Bonner. “We had some tough times as a team, but you learn from it, and you grow and hopefully you get another opportunity sometime down the road.
“Being affected by the hurricane was tough, me and my wife lost our house, and her family lost their house. It was a struggle.”
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We’ve signed 🇺🇸 QB Logan Bonner!@AGLC | #TogetherWeRide🐎
— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) February 14, 2025
Hurricane Helene had developed over the western Caribbean before eventually moving towards Florida and making landfall on Sept. 26 at Category 4. It was the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the Big Bend region of Florida, and the deadliest to strike the mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
In the Florida region, winds reached as high as 220 kilometres an hour and the storm caused 36 fatalities.
To an outsider, it was hard to notice Bonner was going through a difficult time.
The cool, calm, level-headed QB says the support of his family and teammates is what helped him persevere.
“I really leaned on my wife, my family, and her family,” he informed. “You get through things together. When you love the game of football you get to work with some great dudes on the team and have those guys cheer you up. That was really impactful, and they helped me through a lot, and they probably didn’t know.
“We just tried to be business as usual because we’re here to do a job and, at the end of the day, when you love playing football and like the people you work with, that really helps you heal.”
Due to the effects of the hurricane on his family, Bonner and his partner Rachel, decided to post-pone their wedding and elope.
“We still might (have a wedding), but based off the circumstances, losing two houses, losing a couple cars, it just wasn’t in the cards to do that financially for everybody. So, we said why wait and let’s get it done.
“We still might, you never know. For now, we just paused it, took care of what was really important. We’re getting things back in order and I’m really excited to get back to Calgary and get things back to normal.”
The recently re-signed pivot is the only quarterback from the beginning of last season to return the Red and White stables for the 2025 campaign. Bonner believes his familiarity with the club will be beneficial for the Stamps’ re-structured QB room and is looking forward to learning from newly added Vernon Adams Jr. and P.J. Walker.
“I think that it will be a really great opportunity to play with a player like Vernon, and even P.J.’s experience in the NFL is really cool,” he said. “And with me having the knowledge from being here a couple years, (this group) will be a good mix. If they have questions, I’m always down to help them and get us started on the right track this year.
“I’m really excited to be back in the city. I love Calgary and have had a great two years here and I’m blessed to play another year of football.”
With preparations for the 2025 season underway, Bonner has a realistic approach to setting goals for his third season as a Stamp.
“You always have goals, with the position I’m in, my first job is to help V.A. and P.J., and give us the best QB room possible,” he said. “And then to be fundamentally detailed and work on my craft every day.
“This league is always changing, so I’ll just continue to work on the things I need to take care of. If I get an opportunity to help this organization win a game or whatever they need me to do, then that’s my job to do it.
“Until that time, just keep being prepared and come back ready to play.”