By Vic Carucci - NFL Insider
CANTON, Ohio (Aug. 4, 2001) The only thing that might equal Marv Levy's passion for football is his passion for words.
From the moment he was selected to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame last January, those who have ever heard Levy speak predicted the acceptance address he would prepare over the next half-dozen months would be among the more memorable in the shrine's history.
I was among them, having covered Levy during all of his 11 seasons as coach of the Buffalo Bills. I was not disappointed with what I heard Saturday, and neither was anyone else among the sun-drenched crowd of more than 12,000.
The best part of writing about Levy was almost never being short of a good quote. The worst part was knowing that someone with a master's degree in English history from Harvard read your copy every day.
Of course, the man also could coach football. After four consecutive Super Bowl losses, I feared that the quality of his coaching would never be truly appreciated. Fortunately, it was.
Now Marv Levy is where he belongs, among the game's legends.
"When I first walked out on the practice field as a high school assistant football coach, exactly a half-century ago next month, men like Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski, Sid Luckman, and Marion Motley were mythical gods," Levy said. "They still are. And I tread this ground with great reverence for them and for all who reside here. Never did I dream that some day I might be invited to share these same lodgings with them."
"It was a long trip from the corner of 71st Street and Stony Island Avenue on the South Side of Chicago to Canton, Ohio," added Levy. "It's taken me seventy-six years [his birthday was Friday]. But in the words of an old song, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Because on every step of this joyous journey, I've been accompanied by some remarkable companions. Many of them are here today, and although there are others who were unable to be here, I'll always know exactly where to find every one of you-right here, in my heart, forever."
During his 14 minutes behind the microphone, Levy spoke directly from that heart, eloquently covering the unlikely journey he traveled from one-time law student to four-time Super Bowl coach with the Buffalo Bills. Not only did he recognize the important people in his life and career-right down to the secretaries-but gave vivid snapshots of their contribution. Everything from his late father's support when he informed him he was leaving law school to pursue a coaching career to still being able to hear Jim Kelly's cadence while operating the Bills' famed no-huddle offense.
"Someone once lamented that, given my enthrallment with this game, it is a shame that I never had a son," Levy said. "Well, he was wrong. Don't tell me I've never had a son. I've had thousands of them, of every size and shape and color and faith and temperament. And I love them, every one."
The love is mutual. Besides Kelly, who had a front-row seat for the ceremony, several other former Bills were in the audience, including Thurman Thomas, Darryl Talley, Kent Hull, Steve Tasker, and Andre Reed.
"It is said that leadership is that unique quality which enables special people to stand up and pull the rest of us over the horizon," said Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian, who presented Levy for induction and who hired him 15 years ago when Polian was the Bills' general manager. "By that, or any other definition, Marv Levy is one of the greatest leaders this game has ever known."
Levy got his biggest laugh when he used the word "exhortations,"and quickly added, "Look it up, Thurman."
He said he was indebted to Polian and former Bills GM John Butler ("the two best general managers in football") and others who worked in the Bills' player-personnel department for "that parade of talented, high-character players whom I am so proud to have coached."
He also recognized several of his former assistant coaches and many of his former players. When he mentioned "speedy receivers" Don Beebe and James Lofton, Levy got another laugh by adding, "Each of those guys could run the minute in fifty-seven seconds. Time them!"
"How lucky can a man get?" said Levy, who in 17 seasons as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs (1978-1982) and the Bills (1986-1997) had an overall record of 154-120. "What an odyssey I lived with those men, with their teammates and coaches, with all those wonderful people in the Bills' organization, and with those incomparable Buffalo Bills fans.
"For six consecutive years, they led the NFL in attendance. Who cared if it was bitter cold or if an angry snowstorm was raging? Their spirits were as tough as linebackers. Their hearts were as warm as the thermal underwear I wore during those January playoff games in Orchard Park."
Levy not only acknowledged his wife, Fran ("the happiest when we won, the saddest when we lost, the quickest to shed a tear or to wipe away one of mine"), and their daughter, Kimberly ("You coaches out there, may all your players have Kimberly's energy and spirit and be as devoted as she is"), but also mentioned his former wife, Dorothy ("who was with me during my earlier years of coaching. I'm, indeed, grateful for all we shared.")
"Not one of them ever gained a yard or made a tackle," Levy said. "But without their love, I wouldn't be here today.
"Polian praised Levy's "incredible vision for what his teams and players could become," his "magnificent ability to articulate that vision," his "boundless kindness and empathy for his players and associates," and his "unconquerable will to persevere no matter what the obstacle or odds."
Levy concluded his remarks by reciting a quote from Harris Lamb, who coached Levy in basketball and track at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: "To know the game is great. To play the game is greater. But to love the game is the greatest of them all."
"Harris, my dear friend, I have truly loved the game," Levy said. "And I love everyone who has shared this passion with me. Thank you all for enriching my life."
And thank you, Marv, for enriching ours.
|
