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Check out this feature on Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour. Lars Anderson writes:

At Benet Academy...LeFevour played in a rush-heavy double wing. Because he attempted only a dozen passes a game, he attracted little interest from I-A schools. Even after he sent video to 30 programs, including Notre Dame and every team in the Big Ten, he received scholarship offers only from Central Michigan, Ball State, Eastern Michigan and Eastern Illinois. "I went to football camps and thought I had as much talent as anyone, but looking back I was just raw," says LeFevour, whom some NFL scouts rate as a first- or second-round pick. "I had to learn how to be a quarterback."


Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints head coach
Alma mater: Naperville Central
Week 2: Payton has an offensive background and his Saints (2-0) are absolutely lighting up the scoreboard. Coming off a 48-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans leads the NFL by a wide margin in total yards (936) and points scored (93).
Coming up: At Buffalo Bills (1-1), Sunday 3:05 p.m.

Owen Daniels, Houston Texans tight end
Alma mater: Naperville Central
Week 2: Daniels caught a one-yard touchdown pass that tied the game 31-31 late in the third quarter in Nashville, Tenn. The Texans (1-1) then completed the comeback against the Tennessee Titans and scored a 34-31 victory. Daniels finished with six catches for 72 yards.
Coming up: At Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2), Sunday 12 p.m.

Chris Brown, Houston Texans running back
Alma mater: Naperville North
Week 2: Brown is becoming a contributor out of Houston's backfield. He carried the ball eight times for 25 yards (3.1 average), though nearly half of that output came on a 12-yard gain, his longest run of the day in Tennessee. With Steve Slaton struggling, the Texans are ranked last in the NFL in rushing yards per game (50.5). That could create more opportunities for Brown.

Naperville North receives spotlight treatment this week in the Chicago Sun-Times. It includes an essay submitted by North defensive coordinator Sean Drendel, a 1990 graduate. It's worth reading. Drendel writes in part:

Football coach Larry McKeon, my mentor, brought in weight lifting. We never lifted before that. If you aren't playing another sport, he said, you better be lifting. I didn't enjoy lifting. So I played other sports.

But coaches such as McKeon, Carl Hunckler, Paul Ryan and Tom Vargos taught us that hard work pays off, that if you put time and effort in, there will be value in it, as an athlete and a person. Character counts, too. And everyone on the team matters. There are no cuts at Naperville North.

In what was a fairly obvious choice, Central Michigan players have again elected senior quarterback Dan LeFevour and junior linebacker Nick Bellore co-captains.

LeFevour, a Benet graduate who is entering his fourth season as Central Michigan's starting quarterback, will lead the Chippewas into Arizona for Saturday night's season opener.

LeFevour and Bellore were co-captains in 2008. They will be joined by one or two gameday captains that are elected on a weekly basis throughout the season.

Babatunde Oshinowo, the defensive lineman out of Neuqua Valley and Stanford, has signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Oshinowo was released by the Carolina Panthers in late June. This transaction is merely a good excuse to post a Mike Singletary video: "CAN'T DO IT!"

ANOTHER ALUMNI UPDATE: We're late posting this, but Sun-Times Bears beat writer Brad Biggs has more on Glenn Earl's decision to retire.

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CMU billboard.jpg

Dan LeFevour is back in the spotlight. On Monday the Central Michigan senior was one of 33 quarterbacks named to the Davey O'Brien Award watch list. The honor goes to the country's best college quarterback.

Last week the Chippewas were picked to win the Mid-American Conference West Division and the MAC championship game in the conference's preseason poll.

The university has also put up another LeFevour billboard at Comerica Park, across the street from Ford Field in Detroit.

The 6-foot-3-inch quarterback out of Benet ranks 14th in NCAA Bowl Subdivision history with 11,702 yards of total offense. Among active Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks, LeFevour enters 2009 first in career completions, attempts and total offense, second in passing yards and fourth in touchdown passes.

Central Michigan opens at Arizona on Sept. 5 and then travels to Michigan State on Sept. 12.

(Photo courtesy of Central Michigan / ESPN.com.)

D3football.com named North Central College quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe (Naperville North) and linebacker Matt Wenger first-team preseason All-Americans. Offensive lineman Kyle Antos (Wheaton Warrenville South) and cornerback Derek Sulo were on the second team.

The Cardinals' four selections to the teams match last season's national champion -- Mount Union College (Ohio) -- for the most representatives on the two squads.

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