Collegiate Times

QB Logan Thomas (3) celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter.

Back home in Lynchburg, there are several local restaurants where you can walk in and see posters of Logan plastered to the walls — that’s how much he means to our town.

He has the same gratitude towards the community itself.

“Lynchburg is definitely a place that has my back no matter what. They’re kind of the ones that helped raise me,” he said. 

“Lynchburg was kind of parented by committee. You could go to anybody’s house, and they’d be like, ‘Oh yeah, come on in, you can relax here as long as you want.’ That’s just kind of the way it’s always been — very nurturing and very caring.”

His mother no doubt appreciated being able to raise him in a place like that.

“The whole community was a major support for him, and I think that’s why he did so well,” Tarazona said. “And I think that’s why he’s so fond of Lynchburg, still. He’ll go home, he’ll still spend the night with friends. Things haven’t changed.”

And, while his status as a football player continues to rise, those around him agree that not much changes within Logan himself.

“He’s pride-filled. He’s happy to represent, and he does it the right way,” Woody said. 

“He’s humble. At the same time, he’s got a strong backbone. He’s not going to shy away from any competition. He’s not going to shy away from anybody that wants to say something bad about Lynchburg, or bad about Brookville High School, that’s what pride’s all
about.

“Sometimes pride can be bad, but the way Logan handles it, he’s very classy, he’s very humble and he does it the right way. I’m sure he’s honored to represent Lynchburg, but we haven’t seen the last of him. He’s going to continue to represent the right way.”

However, Logan’s still not used to seeing pictures of himself everywhere he goes.

“I just don’t see myself in that way, like an idol I guess is how it looks,” he said. “I see myself as a regular person, it’s just that my craft is football just like anybody else’s craft is carpentry or whatever it may be. It’s just that I’m on TV more than they are.”

At this point, it doesn’t seem like anybody who actually knows the guy is used to seeing him in that regard either.

“It’s just funny, because if you know Logan, if you know his personality, that’s not his style at all,” Zack McCray said. “Logan’s not a very flashy or flamboyant person. To have giant — almost like shrines — put up, it’s just kind of weird just because it doesn’t match his personality.”

But, the people he grew up with hold a special place in their heart for him — as does he for them. His situation, however unique, has turned into a blessing like none other.

“He’s had a lot of support that a lot of young people don’t get,” Warters said. 

“That’s why he’s the way he is. That’s why he’s been successful. As a reporter, you’re supposed to be unbiased, but it’s just clear that the guy has his head on straight and he’s going to do big things. I think he’s already done big things, and I think the sky’s the limit for him.”

—

Nowadays, I see Logan every once in a while. I’ll go by his and Zack’s apartment every now and then and see him on campus occasionally.

As a reporter, I’ll also see him after football games and practices, where he never fails to acknowledge me. Sometimes it’s a fist pound, sometimes it’s a head nod or just a, “What’s up, Zach?”

And it’s funny how those little actions speak volumes about who he is: a guy who won’t ever forget where he came from, no matter how big of a celebrity he blossoms into.

Last Saturday, I stopped by his apartment after the football team’s scrimmage to speak with his mom and aunt for this story.

I watched him play horseshoes with his grandpa, roughhouse with his Uncle Charles (to which Zack’s dad asked him, “What are you gonna tell Coach Beamer when I beat you up?”) and give his mom and grandmother a hug and a kiss goodbye.

After Shirl bid both of her grandsons farewell, she left them with a strict warning — one fit for the ‘matriarch of the family,’ as Dina describes her — before she left them with an “I’m proud of you.”

“Y’all better do what you’re supposed to do,” she said. “And stay out of trouble.”

Something tells me it won’t be too difficult for the ever-humble superstar.

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A version of this article appeared in the Apr 20 issue of the Collegiate Times.