By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Running back Logan Fischer was eight years old when he first strapped on the pads. Right from the start he was hooked.
“I fell in love with [football]. It just grabs you and you become something bigger than yourself,” the Saskatoon native says.
“Honestly just the love of football you could put me in pretty much any position and I’m going to give you every ounce of effort that I’ve got.”
That statement has wrung true throughout all of Fischer’s storied football career, including his time at Bethlehem Catholic High School where he went both ways as a quarterback and weak side linebacker.
Following his senior year, it seemed inevitable that Fischer would continue his football career with the Saskatoon Hilltops of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). For one, his father Axel had roots with the team dating back to 1978 when he won a national title with the squad as a tight end and kicker. There was also the fact that Fischer’s head coach Donnie Davidsen was the offensive line coach for the ‘Toppers and helped push him to continue in the sport.
“[Hilltops head coach Tom] Sargeant just kind of knew who I was by watching high school football games. And then I’m sure Donnie Davidsen was in his ear telling him ‘I’ve got this kid.’ You could say that Donnie was my foot in the door with the Hilltops.”
It didn’t take Fischer long to establish himself with the program that at the time had won 16 national championships and three in a row entering the 2013 season. He was on the roster’s top 40 as a rookie and had the opportunity to learn from veterans such as fellow back Andre Lalonde, who went off for 1367 yards rushing that year.
“Probably the strongest vibe I got was togetherness,” Fischer says of the bond he established with his teammates and coaches.
“Everyone was doing everything together, whether it was helping out within the community or just working the events that were held at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. It just made you feel like you were part of the family.”
The bruising 6’1″, 200-pound runner formed a strong complement in year two with Wayndel Lewis (who would also suit up for Manitoba later on in his career), churning out a yards per carry average of 7.5 while also adding four touchdowns during the regular season.
But his true breakthrough occurred in that year’s Prairie Football Conference (PFC) playoffs, where he shouldered the load for an injured Lewis, including going off for 183 yards on 28 carries in a 27-7 PFC final win over Calgary. He also added over 130 all-purpose yards in the CJFL national championship game, helping the Hilltops get back to the pinnacle a year after Regina had laid claim to the Canadian Bowl.
The 2015 season offered Fischer his opportunity to be the guy for Saskatoon, a task he didn’t take for granted.
“With the Hilltops no one is really guaranteed a position or a starting spot. You’ve got to prove yourself week after week. I made top 40 my first year so I understood that I had a chance to be a success with the program. But it’s more or less what you do in the offseason.
So many guys get a starting position and think oh I’m good I don’t need to train as hard as I did. But really that’s when you need to step it up the most because you’re now a leader for the team and you’ve got to put on a show for the young guys and make them want to be better than you are.”
Not only did Fischer put on a show over the next three years, he also cemented himself as one of the all-time greats in program history, finishing his career with 3690 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns as well as 934 receiving yards and nine scores as a multi-purpose threat. He was also the Offensive MVP of the Canadian Bowl in 2015 and 2016 and was an All-Canadian in 2017.
Additionally, Fischer got the chance to show his stuff as a late invite to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ training camp following the 2016 season, where he had the opportunity to mingle with numerous stars such as former NFL QB Vince Young while also putting on 25 more pounds of muscle.
“That was a tremendous experience,” he says.
“I gained so much knowledge about football at a higher level and just wanting to compete. Unfortunately I got injured at spring camp there so that was a little bit of a setback and a nagging injury through my last season with the Hilltops but altogether it was just an amazing experience.”
The injury Fischer sustained was to his hamstring, which left him on the shelf for all of 2018 and put his pro dreams on hold. But thankfully there was a light at the end of the tunnel, which came courtesy of former Hilltops teammate Kirk Simonsen in March of 2019.
The right tackle was being recruited by Manitoba Bisons head coach Brian Dobie, who also asked about Fischer as the team was looking for a replacement for a likely CFL-bound Jamel Lyles.
“I had no idea that they were looking to recruit me or that anyone was even interested in having me play football anymore. Kirk sent me a message and was like ‘hey man, you interested in playing football? Mind if I give your number to coach Dobie from the Bisons?’ I said absolutely. Please give it to him.”
A few weeks later, Fischer gave his verbal commitment to the Bisons, along with Simonsen. After spending a year away from the game he’s itching to get back on the field and to help make an immediate impact for a Bisons running back crew that also includes speed demon Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette and dynamic rookies Breydon Stubbs and Colton Nedotiafko.
“I think the easiest way to prep [for the running back job] is to pretend that it’s any man’s position at this point. I’m going to hit the gym every day and go 110 and run my heart out. Really that’s all I can do is just get bigger, faster and stronger the Hilltop way. That’s really all I know.”