Also inside: - Coe College

NFL Hall of Fame coach
Marv Levy ’50 shows no
signs of slowing, even after
stepping down after two years
as general manager of the
Buffalo Bills.
“I’m stepping away, not to
slow down, but to speed up,”
Levy said in a telephone
interview shortly after his
resignation was announced.
At 82 years old, Levy is
keeping his options open —
including a return to coaching.
“I would entertain NFL head
coaching opportunities,” he
said. “really, it’s agonizing
not coaching.”
Levy led the Bills to an
unprecedented four straight
Super Bowls in the 1990s
while becoming the winningest
coach in team history. He
retired after the 1997 season
and had worked mostly as an
NFL broadcaster until Bills
owner ralph Wilson came
calling two years ago.
Coe graduates Fredrick Jackson ’03 and Marv Levy ’50 pause for a photo during a Buffalo Bills’ practice at
Ralph Wilson Stadium. Levy, who resigned as the Bills’ general manager after the season, was instrumental in
bringing Jackson to Buffalo.
Photo courtesy the Buffalo Bills.
Coe College Courier
CHANGING
“Following the 2005 NFL
football season, Mr. Wilson
and I agreed that I would
return to Buffalo to serve as
the team’s general manager
for the following two-year
period,” said Levy in a team
statement. “It has been
an experience that I have
enjoyed immensely, and I am
grateful to Mr. Wilson, to all
the wonderful people in the
Buffalo Bills organization,
and to those incomparable
fans who have inspired our
team so magnificently.”
Levy said he had accomplished
his mission as the Bills’
general manager, a position
for which he didn’t feel
particularly well-suited.
“I’m a coach, not an
administrator,” he said.
The Bills posted back-to-back
7-9 seasons and failed to make
the playoffs during Levy’s stint
as general manager. However,
he was instrumental in fortifying
the roster with young,
GEArS
Levy steps down in Buffalo
high character players abiding
by his own mantra that ‘ability
without character will lose.’
“When we needed a new
focus and direction, Marv
improved our organization’s
morale, attitude and
environment,” said Wilson.
“All of that, plus the stability
we needed to move forward.”
Levy leaves the club
encouraged about the team’s
future.
“Despite an unprecedented
number of season-ending
injuries, Dick Jauron, his
coaching staff, and an
admirable core of highcharacter
players are heading
in the right direction. If my
contributions to their efforts
have been meaningful, I then
take my leave from One Bills
Drive, thankful and gratified.”
Barring any coaching
opportunities, Levy said he
will likely return to television
broadcasting in some capacity.
“I also like to write; maybe
even a novel,” he said.
Lettering in football, track
and basketball at Coe, Levy
graduated magna cum laude
and was inducted into Phi
Beta kappa. He later earned a
master’s in English history at
Harvard University.
After coaching at the
college level for seven
years, Levy began his
professional coaching career
as the special teams coach
for the Philadelphia Eagles,
Los Angeles rams and
Washington redskins. He
then became head coach of
the Montreal Alouettes in the
Canadian Football League,
leading them to two Grey
Cup championships.
Levy was head coach of the
kansas City Chiefs from 1978
through 1982. He joined the
Bills as head coach in 1987
and built a powerhouse
franchise. He was inducted
into the Pro Football Hall
of Fame in 2001. Since his
resignation in Buffalo, Levy
has returned to Chicago,
where he lives with his wife,
Mary Frances.
15
www.coe.edu