Minnesotan To Meet: Osseo H.S. Principal Michael Lehan
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- He was a standout athlete at Hopkins High School. Then he went on to captain the Gophers football team.
His football career didn't stop there. Next, it was a crack at the NFL. Michael Lehan played three seasons with the Browns, three with the Dolphins and briefly with the Saints.
The former NFL veteran, Lehan, certainly has smile that will certainly draw you in, but he's not a Minnesotan to Meet for his charm and good looks, rather something else.
After the NFL, Lehan moved back to Minnesota where he is now following his true passion: education. He is in his first year as a principal at Osseo High School. As you will see there is so much more to him than being that guy who used to play in the NFL and that's what makes him this week's Minnesotan to Meet.
Walk the halls of Osseo High School for five minutes with Lehan and it's easy to see why he is the perfect leader for the job. After all, Lehan isn't too far removed from his days of breaking up passes in the backfield as cornerback for Cleveland and Miami.
"I think it gives me flexibility," said Lehan, who is enjoying his first year in this job, "When I was playing football, I worked, today I don't work. This is my passion, what I enjoy doing."
After a good six-year run in the NFL, Lehan was ready to redirect the play call for life after football. Like any leadership role, it's a job he came prepare and ready to play.
"There's a lot of students who say they want to be a professional athlete, that's great, but the chances are .001 percent and I want them to realize there's opportunities beyond that and make sure they're prepared for that," Lehan said.
Just last year he was the assistant principal at Osseo and prior to that he worked in that same role at Maple Grove Senior High and Harding High School in St. Paul. He's also worked as an administrative assistant at North View Junior High and at Osseo Junior High.
"I knew I wanted to be working in the school, the admin track just kind of happened," he said.
Lehan attributes his own personal experience to being so relatable to the kids in the classroom.
"Being in foster care, living in multiple houses, that was my truth," Lehan said.
Lehan's childhood was anything but a charmed life, football was his escape from the day to day turbulence. It wasn't until eighth grade that he says he really had stability at home. Just like he did on the field, he's comfortable breaking things up a bit and looking at education from a different angle.
"Now I can come here and invest in these students with a unique perspective," Lehan said.
Lehan is now working on his doctorate.
