Family man at helm

MONTREAL -- No one is willing just yet to boldly proclaim Stefan LeFors as the quarterback who will end the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' long championship drought.

Hall of famer Matt Dunigan couldn't do it. Neither could Khari Jones or Kevin Glenn; Kerwin Bell, T.J. Rubley, Kent Austin or any other pivot since the last Grey Cup victory way back in 1990.

Enter LeFors, a likable 28-year-old from Denham Springs, La. -- just outside Baton Rouge -- recently anointed the Bombers' new starting quarterback for the 2009 Canadian Football League season. And in a town where the No. 1 gun can be toasted or roasted depending on that week's result, that makes him the subject of water cooler discussions all over Bomber Nation.

Still, what do we really know about the new QB, other than the basics like height, weight, etc?

Free Press football writer Ed Tait recently sat down with LeFors to find out a little about the man behind the face mask...

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We begin with a scene from not more than a week ago. There was LeFors, soaked in sweat after another fours of practice and standing on the big Bomber logo at centre field of Canad Inns Stadium playing catch with his dad Larry. His mom Susan and wife Joy were nearby snapping photos of LeFors' 2 1/2-year-old son Luke while he tried on dad's helmet and shoulder pads. Ella Marie, his six-month-old daughter, was also right there nestled in a baby carrier. And if there is one snapshot that might perfectly capture LeFors away from the field, this is it.

"We're a close family," LeFors said.

"Growing up we did everything together and most of it involved sports in some way. We'd be in backyard playing catch, playing basketball, football... whatever. We'd get the neighbour Jason Hinton from across the street and it was always two-on-two -- me and my dad against my brother Eric and my neighbour. My mom would even join in every now and then.

"That's how I was raised and that's how I'm trying to do it with my two little ones, just spend as much time together as we can. It's a thrill every second I'm with them."

Interestingly, not a word is spoken between LeFors and his parents. We've told this previously, but it bears repeating here: LeFors is the only member of his family who is not deaf. His father was born deaf, his mother and older brother Eric lost their hearing as infants. His paternal grandparents and three uncles are also deaf. And so it should be of little surprise that sign language was LeFors' first method of communication and he learned much of his own vocabulary by watching TV and taking speech classes in kindergarten.

Those who know LeFors well insist this environment is significant because it speaks of the man's resiliency and his ability to adapt. An example: LeFors didn't start playing quarterback until he was in Grade 8 and when he wasn't recruited out of high school, his dad and brother made up a highlight tape they sent to every mid-major Division 1 school from Central Florida to Hawaii.

Only the Louisville Cardinals showed interest in him as a QB and all LeFors did when he became a starter was go 20-5 and be named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation's top QB during his senior year. So popular was LeFors that in his final year his family and friends filled three sections at the New Orleans Superdome in a win over Tulane.

The Carolina Panthers selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft and he dressed for every game as a rookie, listed third on the depth chart behind Jake Delhomme and Chris Wienke. But by the following year LeFors' future in the NFL was in doubt. He was released by the Panthers and then went on the 'NFL workout tour' after that.

"Seattle, Denver, Oakland, Buffalo, Detroit, Tampa, Minnesota... that got old pretty quick," said LeFors. "It seemed like it didn't matter what I did, it was always, 'OK, we'll keep in touch.' "

It was during a trip to Detroit when LeFors got one of those life-changing phone calls. Paul Jones, the Edmonton Eskimos talent sleuth, was on the line offering LeFors the chance to come up and watch a CFL game that fall. Not long after that he was putting his name on a contract.

Interestingly, just a few months later the NFL would come calling again. This time it was the Oakland Raiders, who attempted to buy out LeFors' deal with the Esks. But LeFors passed, what with the nightmare of the workout tour still fresh and a family to think of now.

LeFors would start five games for the Esks as a rookie in 2007 -- Edmonton lost all five, although he was the CFL's Offensive Player of the Week in one defeat -- but when Jason Maas returned to the green and gold last year, he fell to third on the depth chart behind Ricky Ray and Maas.

Along comes Bomber head coach Mike Kelly, who returned to the CFL last year as the Eskimo receivers coach and was instantly impressed.

"I watched him every day in practice," said Kelly. "This is a 'find-a-way' kinda league and if you don't have a guy behind centre who will find a way to win, you'll struggle. I saw all those attributes in Stef last year. He has quiet confidence and people are attracted to him. He's very comfortable to be around, easy-going. But he's also a fiery competitor that finds a way to make plays and teammates respond to that."

Here's the proof, another snapshot that provides a glimpse as to how LeFors is able to lead, not by a rah-rah speech or barrelling into a would-be tackler but by simply being himself. Practice has just ended on Sunday and the Bombers' three QBS -- LeFors, along with Bryan Randall and Richie Williams -- are huddling near a sideline for their post-practice rallying cry.

There are the three of them doing some sort of hand thing...

"I've taught the QBs how to do a 'Q' and a 'B' in sign (language) so that when we break it down (huddle up after practice) we do a little 'Q-B' deal," LeFors explained with a shrug. "A lot of the guys are intrigued by it and they want to learn some sign language. I'm willing to teach if they want to learn.

"Is that being a leader? Oh, I don't know. You gotta be who you are, not only on the field, but in the locker-room. I like to meet the guys and get to know who they are. And out here on the field all I do is work hard, listen to what my teammates say and try to have a good working relationship.

"At the end of the day it's just about being yourself."

Fast-forward now to next week, July 2 to be exact, when LeFors leads the Blue Bombers onto the field against his old team as the starting QB.

"That will be a fun moment in my life," admits LeFors. "My wife's pumped about it and so are my parents. My son's just 2 1/2 years old but he's already starting to figure things out.

"You know, I never would have thought back in '05 when I was with the Panthers that in 2009 I'd be up in Winnipeg as 'The guy.' It's funny how things work. You've just got to roll with the punches. God has a plan for all of us and this is where he wants me to be and I'm really excited about the opportunity to lead this team."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Stefan LeFors: a quick look

What's on your iPod?

"Mostly Christian music. That's all I've got on it, to be honest. Maybe 350 songs."

Favourite TV show:

"Anything sports. SportsCentre. I'll watch anything as long as it has to do with sports."

Regular reading:

"I'm not really a novel-reading guy. I love Sports Illustrated."

Favourite actor:

"I really like Will Smith, Denzel Washington, those guys are good. And Sean Connery. I used to love Chris Farley, too."

Who would you like to portray you if Hollywood made a movie about your life?

"I've had a few guys say I look like Jim Caviezel (Passion of The Christ, The Count of Monte Cristo, Thin Red Line). I actually met him. My offensive co-ordinator at Louisville was Scott Linehan and that was his brother-in-law and he came to a game and I got to meet him."

Perfect day off...

"If I'm not with my family I love to fish, maybe golf if I'm in the mood. Any chance I get, I'll go fishing."

-- Tait

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 23, 2009 C1