Scholar Stories: Bonner's Call to Service Bolstered by Lessons Learned in Lacrosse, at U-M
12/1/2025 12:40:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each week MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories.
By Jonathan Franchi
Leadership, discipline and determination all come to mind when thinking about playing a highly competitive sport at the Division I level. These are lifelong skills that are easily transferable and will help any athlete succeed in a wide array of industries. There is, however, one career path that requires those skills -- and a whole lot more. Serving in the military demands individuals with a relentless drive, a selfless attitude and a purpose-driven mindset.
University of Michigan junior men's lacrosse player Max Bonner checks all those boxes. A defenseman from Cincinnati, Ohio, Bonner aspires to serve in the United States Marines, following in the footsteps of many of his family members.
"I've always had a sense to do something bigger than myself. Money is not my top priority in life," Bonner said. "My dad was in the Navy, and a lot of my family members were in the military. My brother's currently in the Air Force, and I dreamed of serving when I was younger. I kind of got away from that dream once I got later into high school, and then came here and saw no one around me was really going down that path.
"My parents kind of talked to me and said, 'That's OK. You don't have to follow what everyone else is doing.' And then I was like, 'OK, that's what I've always wanted to do.' It's been just some feeling that I've always had that I need to do this."
Bonner got his dream started this past summer, taking part in a six-week Marines leadership training course at Marine Officer Candidate School, where he was evaluated on leadership ability, physical fitness and academics. From six-mile runs to circuit workouts to long hikes with weighted packs, Bonner received a good introduction to the necessary training for the Marines. As for the leadership portion, Bonner gained a firsthand look at what goes through the minds of a Marine during combat.
"The leaders would give a small fire team a mini puzzle or a challenge, and we'd have two minutes to come up with a plan and brief it to them. That would kind of lead up into basically an assault on an enemy in the woods. So, we learned how to navigate through the woods from point to point, how to plot points, and then how to actually maneuver through the woods and then plan an attack on an enemy. A big thing is just the discipline aspect -- being able to take orders and just learn them quickly so you can be reliable to all the people around you."
After completing this training course, Bonner is ready to complete a more advanced six-week training course during the coming summer as he prepares to join the Marines after graduation. As he has gotten a taste of the military regimen, Bonner has been able to draw some connections to his lifestyle as a lacrosse player.
"With both, you have to focus on what you can control, especially with the guys around you," he said. "Things are not always going to go your way, and there are obviously challenges along the journey. I've learned to just really focus on what I can do and how I can help the people around me."
With a clear goal in mind, Bonner is striving to become a Marine pilot, similar to his father, who was a Navy pilot. However, before he officially joins the ranks, he has some business to take care of on the field for Michigan. After not seeing the field much during his freshman year, Bonner saw a lot of action in year two, playing in every game, accumulating 18 ground balls and causing seven turnovers. In his first year with Michigan, Bonner learned a lot off the field that helped prepare his mindset for year two.
"Everything you do is a process. You might have been very good in high school, but it doesn't really translate. You have to learn the system in place," said Bonner. "We've got a pretty strict system defensively, so you need to learn all the little details of what you have to do to succeed in that system.
"It doesn't change overnight. You can't find success overnight. You have to really buy into it over time, and you have to really deal with the lows and the highs. Sometimes you'll be playing really well, and you think, 'Maybe I should get a shot the next day.' You could be right back down low. So really, just trying to not ride that roller coaster of emotions and stay focused on getting better."
Establishing that mindset allowed for the Cincinnati native to have a strong sophomore season, and he is looking to build on that for an improved junior season. One of the big reasons that Bonner chose Michigan was because he could sense the tight chemistry and strong camaraderie that the team had, and he believes those tight relationships have paid dividends on the field.
"I mean, breakfast, lunch and dinner, I spend all my free time with these guys, and I've got classes with them," Bonner said. "With the bigger sports, they've got their different groups within the team. With us, we're all close. It doesn't matter what grade you're in here; we're all just best friends and brothers. Because we're so connected off the field, we just flow together defensively. If someone makes a mistake, we understand who that person is, and we'll just fix it for them. And they can realize that, and we'll just keep going as a unit. There's no stopping the system."
In the classroom, Bonner is in the Ross School of Business along with many of his teammates, majoring in business administration. At Michigan, he understands the importance of academics and its long-term impact.
"I think the biggest thing is being well-rounded -- not focusing on one area of your life. We stress that a lot, too," Bonner said. "On the lacrosse team, we're not just here to play lacrosse; we're here to become men. We're here to become good members of society, to be consistent, to be reliable, to be able to get everything done and do it well."
It is safe to say that Bonner is well on his way to becoming an honorable member of society. Serving in the military is a testament to Bonner's courage, determination, and selfless attitude. As Bonner said, his favorite part of lacrosse is "just being with the guys and doing hard stuff with them."
With two years of lacrosse left and the Marines on deck, there will be plenty of hard times for Bonner ahead of him, but with his discipline and character, he will be ready to come out stronger from any challenge that comes his way.
