From the rink to the gridiron: Logan Bandy excelled on the field

Like many Canadian kids, Logan Bandy’s first foray into sports came on the ice.

“I played hockey growing up and hockey will always have a special place in my heart but I was too fat to play high-level hockey so football is where we are at now,” the Calgary product said.

Being one of the bigger kids on the ice led to a couple of unintentional suspensions as well.

“When you’re like 14 or 15 years old and you’re 6’3”, 6’4”, you’re going to be taking head shots at kids that are tiny. It was a common occurrence for me to get a couple of hitting to the head penalties,” Bandy said.

Now Bandy finds himself on the gridiron, smack dab in the middle of the Riders’ offensive line after a leg injury to centre Dan Clark. Bandy will start his second CFL game for Saskatchewan in a rematch against the Montreal Alouettes. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 3 p.m.

“I’m still learning from Dan Clark. He’s in meetings every day, we are watching film together. The knowledge that he is giving me — it’s hard to put into words how much he is helping me out,” Bandy said.

While his size may have always eventually led to the football field, he started to find a love for the sport by being a fan of the Calgary Stampeders.

“When I was a kid, my buddy got me signed up for a Stamps kid camp back when I was in elementary school and that’s what got me starting to play football. My family had season tickets all throughout when I was growing up,” Bandy said. “It was a big part of my life and that’s a big reason why I’m here.”

While playing football in high school, Bandy came to the realization that he could take the next step with the sport.

“I’m pancaking guys, the coaches love it and from there I kind of decided this is where I want to go and I want to work towards this,” Bandy said.

Bandy also had quite the talent around him growing up to help him bring his game to the next level. He played with Deane Leonard, a defensive back with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, and also helped block for Chubba Hubbard, a running back for the Carolina Panthers, while on Team Alberta.

“There’s some elite football in Alberta and in Canada and it’s really starting to show now that more guys are going to Division 1 schools and into the pros and into the NFL,” Bandy said.

Bandy chose to stay close to home to play U Sports football with the Calgary Dinos. He appeared in 23 games for the Dinos between 2017-19 as a tackle. He was also a part of the 2019 Vanier Cup Championship team, defeating Montreal Carabins 27-13.

“That team will always have a special place in my heart and there’s nothing better than winning a championship,” Bandy said.

But the Dinos wouldn’t get a chance to defend their crown in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out football in Canada – professionally and at the U Sports level.

But it turned out to be a good thing for Bandy, who used the time away to have shoulder surgery.

“I took the time and got healthy and it really helped me get stronger and better as a player. It was about out framing it as a good thing rather than taking COVID as a hit,” Bandy said.

Despite not playing a game in 2020, Bandy was one of the top-rated offensive linemen heading into the CFL Draft.

But Bandy would experience a draft day slide, not getting his name called until the fifth round (38th overall) by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“At the end of the day, where I went didn’t matter much to me. I was just excited to get an opportunity and I was just excited to get going. It was a special moment that I shared with my family and we really didn’t care where I went in the draft. I’m just happy I ended up in Saskatchewan and I’m happy to play here as well.”

While his friends and family were happy to see him get drafted, they did have some fun at his expense about how he was going to a Western Division rival.

“We were kind of laughing about how we grew up Stamps fans. It’s funny to look back on it now and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Bandy said.

Bandy was at training camp with Saskatchewan in 2021 but ultimately elected to return to school.

“I had a couple classes left so it was in my best interest to go back and play and play a year at centre,” Bandy said. “It was nice to get a season under my belt and improve as a player.”

The move worked for Bandy, who was named a Canada West all-star at the position in his first year there.

“All-star awards are all-star awards – at the end of the day, they really don’t matter but it was really cool to get some recognition for something I picked up pretty quick,” Bandy said.

Bandy was given a welcome to the league by the Alouettes and veteran defensive tackle Almondo Sewell last week. In a 36-13 loss, quarterback Cody Fajardo was sacked seven times, while backup Mason Fine was sacked once.

But with a full week of preparation, confidence in a turnaround is high.

“We can feel it in practice. The calls and the communication feel a lot better compared to last week. Physically I feel great so I’m excited to get out there and put out a good performance as an offensive line unit,” Bandy said.

And it didn’t take much convincing to get his family to trade in their red for green and white to cheer him on.

“They went pretty quick and got jerseys and everything. I’m going to have some friends and family in the stands this weekend. It will be pretty exciting for me,” Bandy said.