Dan LeFevour knew he would be a football player when he arrived at Central Michigan University in 2006, but the former quarterback struggled to find direction off the field.

Most people remember him as CMU’s all-time passing leader, the quarterback who broke records and led the Chippewas to three Mid-American Conference championship games. Many people don't know the man under the helmet.

LeFevour visited CMU on Thursday to speak to a small group of students taking a communication and leadership class the Illinois-native took during his time in Mount Pleasant. The CMU football record holder talked about what makes a good leader.

“A lot of times people aren’t necessarily ready to lead,” LeFevour said. “There is nothing that is going to prepare you for a lot of things in life except experience. You can BS yourself and say that you’re ready, but you’re really not until you gather that experience. There’s no way to get that experience but to perform on the job.”

LeFevour talked about some of the qualities he developed at CMU – all of which are helping him expand his career both on and off the field in a growing number of ways.

“Just being determined in what I want to do, being motivated and always working hard, those are the things that people can look at and try to emulate,” he said.

Patience is another virtue LeFevour mentioned as a key aspect of communicating effectively with peers.

“Working on the way you want to communicate and how you want to be heard, all of those things take time and take development,” LeFevour said to the class. “Yes, there are things that you can do on your own that people can look to as an example. But anytime you are communicating with others, that can always be polished always be improved upon.”

LeFevour plays in the Canadian Football League and was the starting quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats until a torn ACL ended his season this summer.

Because of the hardship LeFevour worked through as a student at CMU, he said he was prepared to handle the serious injury.

“I’ve been through a lot of extreme highs and lows through football and school when I was here,” he said. “I’ve made it through all of those experiences, so knowing that a tragic accident like tearing my ACL and cutting my season short and having a slight threat on my career, I’m able to attack that and move through that because I’ve been through trials and tribulations in the past.”

One of the students in the class who related to both LeFevour’s message and injury situation was CMU softball player Evelyn Lorimer, who also tore her ACL within the last year.

“He’s really open to talking to anyone,” Lorimer said. “It’s really cool to see someone like him show so much amount of character.

Lorimer said as a CMU student-athlete, she hears LeFevour’s name brought up often.

“Everyone talks about Dan LeFevour throughout the community,” she said. “For someone to be so famous on campus and being able to communicate and talk to and not be above you in any way, is really inspiring.”

The former CMU signal caller based his style of leadership from various people and experiences throughout his career.

“In every step that I have had along the way, with a coach there is something you can pick up,” LeFevour said. “I don’t know if there is one person that I can say I wanted to be like. There’s bits and pieces of how they fit into your personality and style that you pick up along the way.”

He urged students to take control of the moment and to let it pass them by.

“Don’t take this for granted,” LeFevour said. “There’s a lot of fun to have in college, but don’t take this opportunity lightly. This is a stepping stone for the next level. You don’t want to take a step back while you’re here because you could set your whole life back. You want to step forward.”

LeFevour had little time to take things for granted and learn how to be a leader. He was thrown into the starting lineup and asked to lead the Chippewas his first year on campus.

“I remember coach (Brian) Kelly telling me before that season that the team was dying for a leader, and they were begging for leader and had everything in place but a quarterback," LeFevour said

"It was a lot of fun and a challenge, but luckily it went well for me and continued to go well for me the rest of the time I was here.”

The former standout for the Chippewas is still beloved and was well received by many within the faculty, students and community during his visit.

“He was always an in-class leader and always just an all-around great guy,” said CMU professor Rick Buerkel. “It’s a pleasure to have him back again.”

Buerkel said LeFevour’s ability to relate with others made him a great choice to give advice to the class.

“Dan has a lot of unusual experiences that most people are going to have,” he said. “That gives him some fairly unique perspectives on a variety of different aspects on leadership. He has something that all of us can learn from. We just need to apply the messages that he presented today to our own lives.”

If you ask LeFevour, the feeling is mutual.

“It’s got that small town feel to it, but it’s a larger community at the same time,” he said. "I love coming back and working out, or going to places to eat around town and visiting people that met, and it’s really just a great community feeling.”

That showing of endearment LeFevour received throughout his career as a Chippewa is something he said he will never forget.

“I always felt welcomed, and I always felt like I was a part of a bigger thing than just football,” he said. “I was a part of the Central Michigan community.”