With CSU Pueblo welcoming alumni back to campus this past weekend for events highlighted by this past's Friday's Athletics Hall of Fame banquet where National Football League standout Ryan Jensen will be inducted, one does not ignore two homecoming games to remember by Chris Bonner.
 
With the revival of football at CSU Pueblo in 2008, the greatest two back-to-back seasons in terms of victories (25 in 27 games) were quarterbacked by Bonner as the Pack won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference twice to advance both seasons to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
 
After a disappointing 34-30 setback to perennial power Grand Valley State in the 2013 playoffs after 11 straight wins, Bonner led the Pack to a 14-1 record the next season highlighted by four national playoffs wins ending with a 13-0 blanking of Minnesota State Mankato in the NCAA Division II championship game at Kansas City.
 
Prior to the championship run, Bonner was the "king" of homecoming as he passed for a combined 625 yards (36 of 60) for seven touchdowns in ThunderBowl wins over Fort Lewis (35-3, 300 yards, 4 scores) on October 5, 2013 and Chadron State (41-13, 325, 3) on October 18, 2014.
 
Those two games are the best homecoming passing performances in CSU Pueblo football history, as Bonner has six of the 15 best passing yards games in the ThunderWolves record book.
 
Yards, player, versus, date
396, Steven Croell at Midwestern State, Sept. 3, 2022
390, Ross Dausin vs. Black Hills State, Oct. 20, 2012
361, Hunter Raquet at Colorado Mesa, Oct. 29, 2022
345, Chris Bonner at Black Hills State, Oct. 26, 2013
338, Chance Fuller at Grand Valley State, Sept. 9, 2023
333, Chris Bonner at Chadron State, Oct. 12, 2013
333, Hunter Raquet vs. Chadron State, Oct. 22, 2022
318, Rex Dausin vs. Colorado Mesa, Sept. 30, 2017
316, Chris Bonner vs. Chadron State, Oct. 18, 2014 (homecoming)
316, Hunter Raquet vs. South Dakota Mines, Nov. 5, 2022
315, Brandon Edwards vs. Colorado Mines, Sept. 15, 2018
310, Chris Bonner at Western Colorado, Sept. 20, 2014
309, Chris Bonner vs. Western Colorado, Nov. 16, 2013
306, Ross Dausin at NW Oklahoma State, Sept. 8, 2012
304, Ross Dausin at NW Oklahoma State, Sept. 4, 2010
300, Chris Bonner vs. Fort Lewis, Oct. 5, 2013 (homecoming)
 
When asked about those homecoming performances, Bonner said "with Fort Lewis, I just remember our offense being dialed in 2013. We had so much talent and were averaging over 40 points per game. We knew we were winning the RMAC at that point."
 
As for the Chadron State game, Bonner said "we knew it was a huge game where we needed to change our mindset since we had lost at Fort Lewis (23-22) the week before.  This was arguably the most crucial game of our 2014 run. We thought we were unstoppable after beating Sam Houston State (47-21) and that we were going to coast through the RMAC.  We snuck by Western Colorado (26-23) and Adams State (17-7) and obviously losing to Fort Lewis was the wake up call. We were fired up for this game because we knew we HAD to win big to bring back our momentum versus Mines and for the remainder of the season.  I remember the locker room being wild before the game. Music blasting, players hyping each other up, and Wristen (Coach John) leading us through our pre-game ritual with more energy than usual."
 
As for memorable moments in the homecoming victories, Bonner said two touchdown passes (8 and 34 yards) to "fellow San Diegan Stehly Reden was special.  But on a reverse to Kieran Duncan, I leveled a linebacker which set him up for a big gain.  I had never that done before, so I was pretty fired up about it.  I have video proof if needed!
Bonner's recollection against Chadron State at homecoming was about playing "a huge rival and we loved going deep on them.  I just remember airing it out against them.  I had huge completions to Kieran (Duncan, 59 yards) and Paul (Browning, 36) in that game."
 
When asked about enrolling at CSU Pueblo, Bonner said "I was 1-9 my senior year of high school and went to junior college (Grossmont) where our team won probably half of our games. I was tired of losing and knew that I needed a program with a winning history.  I also wanted to play, and I knew Ross Dausin was leaving and that I could compete for the starting job.  I also went on a recruiting trip before the spring semester.  My parents told me not to sign anything until I visited other schools that were interested, but I knew Pueblo was right for me and I signed up with the Pack on that trip."
 
For his CSU Pueblo career, Bonner is the Pack's all-time passing leader with 6,704 yards and 63 touchdown passes as his 483 completions and 835 attempts ranks second to Ross Dausin, who passed for 6,686 yards and 53 scores in his three seasons with the ThunderWolves (2010-2012).
 
Following the championship 2014 season, the 6-6 Bonner started The Medal of Honor Bowl (an all-star game in Charleston, S.C.) and completed four of his five passes for 44 yards. He suffered a minor hand injury in his only series and did not return to the game that featured players from the SEC, Big 12, ACC, Big Ten and Pac 12.
 
Following graduating from CSU Pueblo with a business management degree, Bonner had tryouts in 2015 with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL and played the 2017 season in the Arena Football League with the Tampa Bay Storm.
 
As for now, Bonner manages a residential mortgage team in Denver where he said he is "married to my amazing wife, Dakota, who is also Pueblo alumni. We have a one-and-half year old daughter. My wife and I have returned on several occasions to Pueblo, and hopefully, will be at homecoming this year."
 
As for homecoming games, Bonner said "the football team has and always will thrive at home when our fans show up and get loud. We appreciate the energy the fan base brings and love winning in front of them. Hopefully that will never change. GO PACK!"