Big loss to CAL specifically, and KY Football in general. I loved watching Lefors when he was a U of L QB, and it was an honor to get to deal with him as the coach at CAL. He even - at the request of my son, a huge U of L fan and an FCA officer when he was at East Oldham MS - came to my son's MS FCA program and spoke.

 

Class act. All of KY will miss him.

 

CM

Big loss to CAL specifically, and KY Football in general. I loved watching Lefors when he was a U of L QB, and it was an honor to get to deal with him as the coach at CAL. He even - at the request of my son, a huge U of L fan and an FCA officer when he was at East Oldham MS - came to my son's MS FCA program and spoke.

 

Class act. All of KY will miss him.

 

CM

 

I agree with you...a loss for Kentucky football in general. I also think his invitation-only quarterback camp was on its way to becoming a big thing for the state.

Here's an update on Coach Lefors' career:



WASHINGTON - Gallaudet University Athletics Director Warren Keller, '10, has announced Stefan LeFors as the new head coach of the Bison football program. LeFors, who is a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), brings over 25 years of football acumen to Kendall Green with experiences as a NCAA Division I student-athlete, professional football player and a state champion head coach at the high school level.

LeFors becomes the 37th head football coach in Gallaudet's illustrious history as the football program was founded in 1883 and is proudly the Home of the Huddle™ as the first football huddle began in 1894.

"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Coach Stefan LeFors to the Gallaudet family as our new head football coach. From the moment we began this search, we were looking for someone who could inspire our student-athletes, elevate our program, and lead with passion, integrity, and vision," said Keller. "Coach LeFors brings an incredible track record of success, a deep love for the game, and a clear commitment to developing young men both on and off the field. We're confident he will make an immediate impact on our culture and carry on our proud tradition with energy and excellence. We can't wait to see what the future holds under his leadership!"

LeFors, who begins his duties effective April 21, takes over the helm of the Gallaudet football program from 15-year veteran Chuck Goldstein, who moved over to the admissions office after setting the program record for wins (59) and conference victories (42) in 14 seasons.

"I'm incredibly humbled and excited for this next chapter and grateful for the opportunity to grow, learn, and take on new challenges at Gallaudet University," said LeFors. "My passion is developing young people and sharing the knowledge I've learned from all the wonderful places I've been both as a player and coach. I look forward to building positive relationships with the players, staff and administration."

LeFors, 43, arrives at Gallaudet from Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge, La., where he has served as head football coach and physical education teacher since March 2019. LeFors guided Parkview Baptist to a 47-24 record and made six state playoff appearances where the Eagles compiled a 7-6 postseason record.

Prior to Parkview Baptist, LeFors served as head football coach and athletic scheduling coordinator at Christian Academy of Louisville from 2011-19. LeFors tallied an impressive 86-20 record and won two Kentucky 2A State Championships (2016, '18) and seven district championships. In 2016, LeFors was named Associated Press State Coach of the Year for Kentucky. In addition, LeFors earned five district coach of the year honors.

LeFors is a 2004 graduate of the University of Louisville where he played quarterback for the Cardinals from 2000-04. LeFors was the 2004 Conference USA Football Player of the Year and guided the Cardinals to a 44-40 victory over Boise State in the Liberty Bowl, where he was named Most Valuable Player. The two-time Conference USA First Team honoree attended the 2005 East West Shrine All-Star Game in San Francisco where he was named Offensive Player of the Game after he threw three second quarter touchdowns to help propel the East to a 45-27 victory.

LeFors was drafted in the fourth round (121st overall) of the 2005 National Football League (NFL) Draft by the Carolina Panthers and stayed with the organization for two years. He signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2007-08 and played with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the 2009 season.

LeFors first started coaching football with an internship with Providence High School in Charlotte in 2006 and later returned to the University of Louisville in 2010 as an academic specialist after his professional playing days concluded.

The LeFors family has a strong connection to Gallaudet University. Stefan's older brother, Eric, played on the Bison football team from 1996-99 and graduated from GU in 2001. Eric's wife, June Ann DeLaune, '01, also is a member of the Class of 2001. Stefan's mother, Susan Carter LeFors, attended Gallaudet from 1977-78 and played for the Bison women's volleyball team. Stefan's uncle, Nick LeFors Jr., attended Gallaudet from 1973-75 and played men's basketball and golf. Nick's wife, Peggy Barbour, '76, was a member of the Gallaudet cheer squad. Stefan's uncle, David LeFors, attended Gallaudet from 1986-89.

Stefan is married to his high school sweetheart, Joy, for nearly 22 years. The couple has two children; one son, Luke (18) and one daughter, Ella (16).

LeFors added his personal connection to Gallaudet University along with his accomplished football experience made this the right fit for him and his family.

"My ties to GU run deep with family members attending school there and being on campus as a kid watching my brother play football in the late 1990s really makes this even more of a unique and special opportunity for me and my family. Go Bison!"

That's cool.  This takes a lot of courage to make this type of move.  Being a "CODA" must have had a huge impact on him.  

It's too bad that KSD no longer fields a football team.

27 minutes ago, okie1 said:

That's cool.  This takes a lot of courage to make this type of move.  Being a "CODA" must have had a huge impact on him.  

It's too bad that KSD no longer fields a football team.

One of the best running backs to play at KSD - Patrick Harris. They used the Danville home field for their home games. 

31 minutes ago, okie1 said:

It's too bad that KSD no longer fields a football team.

KSD finally ran out of kids and couldn't field a team any longer, which is actually a good thing, but they had a strong program for many years.

Lefors' biography is quite impressive. I suspect he'll do a very good job at Gallaudet. There have been a few really cool videos and articles produced about their program and previous head coach in recent years. If I remember correctly, the "huddle" was invented by their program back in the late 1800s.

Gallaudet University originally opened in 1864 as a grammar school for deaf and blind children and expanded into the National Deaf-Mute College shortly after that. It's operated as Galluadet College, and later Gallaudet University since 1894 and was the first school in the world to offer advanced education for the deaf and hard of hearing. Gallaudet is still the world's only higher education institution with ALL of its programs specifically designed to accommodate the deaf and hard of hearing.

Their school motto is "Ephphatha," Aramaic for "Be Opened"...a reference to Mark 7:34 when Jesus healed the deaf and dumb man at the Sea of Galilee by touching his ears and tongue and saying "Ephphatha."

Gallaudet first fielded a football team in 1883 as a club team, and they are known for creating the football huddle under Coach Paul Hubbard (as mentioned above.) The football program has been discontinued and restarted many times over, but has operated continuously since 2007 when the Bison football team joined the NCAA for the first time as a Division III program. They were co-champions of the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference in 2013 & 2023, and conference champions in 2022.

34 minutes ago, okie1 said:

That's cool.  This takes a lot of courage to make this type of move.  Being a "CODA" must have had a huge impact on him.  

It's too bad that KSD no longer fields a football team.

6 minutes ago, BobbyKnight said:

One of the best running backs to play at KSD - Patrick Harris. They used the Danville home field for their home games. 

I never got to witness...@Calico Jack may be able to correct me if I'm wrong...but as I understand it KSD used to have someone line up on the sideline along the yardline where the ball was spotted with a large bass drum like you'd see with a marching band. They would rap on the drum to signal the cadence for the snap when KSD was on offense, and the players could feel the percussion of the drum beats to know when the ball was being snapped. Pretty amazing!

4 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

I never got to witness...@Calico Jack may be able to correct me if I'm wrong...but as I understand it KSD used to have someone line up on the sideline along the yardline where the ball was spotted with a large bass drum like you'd see with a marching band. They would rap on the drum to signal the cadence for the snap when KSD was on offense, and the players could feel the percussion of the drum beats to know when the ball was being snapped. Pretty amazing!

That’s it! They had a drum they used for their cadence.

Boyle's JV used to scrimmage KSD for many years.  They had a decently large drum at most of their athletic events.  I don't actually remember them using it for cadence but not saying they didn't.  Those guys took it very seriously and had some pretty good players throughout the years.  They just never had a lot of depth.  Knew several of them outside of school and coached some of their kids in youth ball.  I think the Danville area is blessed to have a large deaf community.  Having conversations with their students over the years you learn that they develop a "sixth sense" to recognize when a play has ended on the football field.  It's harder than baseball and basketball.  In the 70's and 80's the school was much larger than today.  

I used to call games at Bethlehem in 8-man football and KSD would come play them. Honestly, one of the most impressive things I've ever witnessed in the game. Best of luck to Coach Lefors.

3 hours ago, BEChargers said:

KSD...In the 70's and 80's the school was much larger than today.  

There was a huge rubella outbreak in the United States from 1962-65. Rubella during pregnancy is the most common cause of congenital deafness. That explains why the numbers at KSD in the late-70s and early-80s were high, with good teams to boot. (The lone trip to the basketball region tournament for the Colonels came in 1982 behind David Hamilton, who I believe was also the region player of the year). Once the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine was made available, far fewer kids were stricken with deafness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962–1965_rubella_epidemic

The more you know……:

 

that’s is very interesting. Thank you.

12 hours ago, gchs_uk9 said:

There was a huge rubella outbreak in the United States from 1962-65. Rubella during pregnancy is the most common cause of congenital deafness. That explains why the numbers at KSD in the late-70s and early-80s were high, with good teams to boot. (The lone trip to the basketball region tournament for the Colonels came in 1982 behind David Hamilton, who I believe was also the region player of the year). Once the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine was made available, far fewer kids were stricken with deafness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962–1965_rubella_epidemic

I coached David's kids.  David was a heck of an athlete and a really nice dude.  

Had the opportunity to officiate a game between KSD and Eminence. Very interesting experience. When you blew a whistle they STOPPED. The pregame coach/officials conference was different, but we all got through it. Harris was a player. It was a pleasure and honor to work that game!