Meet Stefan LeFors, Gallaudet’s new Head Football Coach

Stefan LeFors is the perfect coach to bring Bison Football into a new era. A quarterback in college and the pros, he arrives at Gallaudet with 15 years of head coaching experience. He’s also a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults).

“My parents are Deaf,” Coach LeFors says. “I have a Deaf older brother, who played football at Gallaudet in 1996. I have Deaf grandparents, a Deaf aunt and uncle. Many people in my family are Deaf. I grew up in the Deaf world.”

Growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Coach LeFors played football from a young age and never looked back. Still, he was surprised to find himself walking onto the Gallaudet campus as the new Head Coach.

“I never imagined I’d be the coach at Gallaudet one day, but here I am. I grew up in the Deaf world and I love football. Now I have the opportunity to live both worlds at once. It’s a wonderful opportunity. I’m very excited to be here.”

We talked to Coach LeFors after he arrived on campus, and right before he met the Bison players for the first time.

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Can you tell us about your family?

Coach LeFors: My mom attended Gallaudet briefly. My brother Eric graduated from here. I visited maybe two or three times when I was young. I heard about Gallaudet all the time growing up in the Deaf world. Now I’m here. Wow.

I married my high school sweetheart. We’ve been together almost 22 years and have two children. My son will graduate high school soon. My daughter is in tenth grade. They love playing football, basketball, track, and different sports. They keep me busy. We’re a close family. I look forward to bringing them here. 

Can you tell us about your experience as a football player?

Coach LeFors: I’ve played football since I was seven years old. I love football. It’s my favorite sport. I played in high school, and had the opportunity to play for the University of Louisville, in Kentucky. It was a great experience there.

My dream came true when I was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. I played one year in the NFL, then made my way up to Canada and played football for three years there. It was a wonderful experience. 

I’ve met lots of people and experienced different places. Football has been good to me.

Can you tell us about your coaching experience?

Coach LeFors: After I retired from playing football in 2009, I became a high school coach. I was head coach for a small private school in Kentucky for eight years. I helped the program grow and won two state championships in 2016 and 2018. I’m very proud of that.

Then I moved home to Louisiana to coach six years at another high school. It was a challenge, but I enjoyed every minute. I’ve learned a lot as a coach and met many people. Now, I’m ready to bring that experience to the college level.

What is your football philosophy as a coach?

Coach Lefors: I love the strategy part of football. That’s why I became a coach after I stopped playing.

I played quarterback all through high school, college, and the pros. I love it. You have to think and be a team player. Help the offensive line, receivers, and running back. It’s a very cerebral position.

Defense and special teams are important, of course, but offense is my forte. I like to think creatively to find ways to score touchdowns. Make it fun for the players, not just the same thing over and over. Give them input on what they want to do.

I encourage players to share their ideas. I don’t know it all. I depend on others to help me. If players see good ideas watching football on TV, they can bring it to the team. I have an open mind.

That said, I want a dependable quarterback. There’s a lot of pressure on quarterbacks to keep the offense running the right way.

“Come to our games to see a team that competes hard, plays fast, and has a lot of fun.“

What are you looking forward to as the next Head Football Coach for Gallaudet?

Coach LeFors: I look forward to meeting the players and building relationships with them. I’ll share my experience as a player and a coach. I’ve seen many different things and I can help them develop as people.

That’s the first and most important thing. Develop the players as men. Help them do things the right way, and become good people so they can bring that to their work and families in the future. I hope they look back and think, “Football helped me a lot.” That’s my number one goal.

I also want the players to learn about the game of football. Give them a chance to win. Be successful, have fun, enjoy the game. You can’t play forever, so make the most of it now.

How do you feel about meeting the players soon?

Coach LeFors: I’m very excited to meet the players. It’s important to build relationships and trust so they can feel comfortable and play hard for me.

I’ll introduce myself and share my philosophy. Not just offense or defense, X’s and O’s. That comes later. First, I’ll share what I expect from them in terms of attitude, work ethic, willingness to be coached, and positivity.

The first practice will be challenging. I have to build relationships with the players first and foremost to understand what they can or can’t do. That will decide what we do as a team.

Basic skills are important. We can’t just jump to the complicated plays if we don’t do basic things right. We’ll focus on foundational skills before moving on to the X’s and O’s.

What is your message to the current Bison players?

Coach LeFors: Get ready. You’ll have a lot of opportunities. Hopefully, we score a lot of points, but we have to continue to work hard.

Take care of your bodies. Exercise, eat right, sleep right, and get ready for a long season. There will be some struggles, but stay patient and buy in. We’ll be successful.

What can fans look forward to from Gallaudet football?

Coach LeFors: This will be a new style of Gallaudet football. It will be very exciting. We’ll build on what’s been done over the years. Gallaudet has had a lot of success and I hope to build on that.

Gallaudet University has a wonderful opportunity to show what our athletes can do. I’m confident that the players will buy into my system. They’ll work hard and do their best.

The goal is to win, but more importantly, learn every day what works and doesn’t work. Make mistakes and learn from them. Go play hard, compete, and make Gallaudet proud.

Anything you’d like to say to high school players thinking of coming to Gallaudet?

Coach LeFors: I’ve experienced success as a player on the college level and pro level, as well as in coaching. As a CODA, I think I can build strong connections with players. 

College football is a great opportunity. Not many people can say they did it. Coming to Gallaudet is your chance to be part of something special, and something new. You’ll have a lot of fun, meet many people, and make memories that last forever.

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