Herb Zurkowsky: Long overdue honor for Als coaching legend Marv Levy

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At age 96, Marv Levy admits his time in the 100-yard dash has slowed since his days at Iowa’s Coe College, when he earned varsity letters in football, track and basketball.

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Although he doesn’t possess the energy or balance he once had, Levy still does light weight training three or four times per week and walks carefully, and usually with some assistance, for 45 minutes each day.

“I’m probably in better shape than most guys my age,” Levy quipped this week from his Chicago home — his mind and rapier wit as evident today as they were decades ago while becoming one of the most successful head coaches in Alouettes history.

Levy spent only five years in Montreal, from 1973-77, posting a 43-31-4 record overall. He was named the CFL’s coach of the year in ’74, won two Gray Cups and should have had a third had Don Sweet not missed a 19-yard field goal in 1975 against Edmonton. Nonetheless, Levy’s teams went 7-3 in post-season play.

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“I didn’t coach there for a lot of years although, out of a 47-year coaching career, those five are so memorable,” Levy said. “They were tremendously memorable years — from the owner, Sam Berger, the fans, the move to Olympic Stadium and, of course, the Gray Cup championships.”

Levy was inducted Friday night into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton, but was unable to attend; his doctor advising him strongly against travel due to Levy’s lack of equilibrium. He’s part of the 2021 class as a builder, although no induction ceremonies were held the last two years due to COVID-19.

Instead, Alouettes president Mario Cecchini — one of the driving forces behind Levy’s enshrinement — traveled to Chicago last Friday, along with two CFL employees, to present him with his Hall of Fame jacket, ring and bust, while recording his acceptance speech.

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“To me, Marv was bigger than (former Canadiens) Yvan Cournoyer and Frank Mahovlich,” Cecchini said. “Marv Levy was a giant.”

While it pained Levy being unable to attend the ceremony, he nonetheless becomes only the third person — along with former Winnipeg head coach Bud Grant and Edmonton quarterback Warren Moon — who are inducted in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and the Canadian hall.

Levy, who left the Als to become the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1978 before a memorable 12-year run in Buffalo that included four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, and defeats, made it into the US hall in 2001. He’s the winningest head coach in Bills history, going 112-70.

“I’m extremely honored,” Levy said. “It’s one of those ‘is this really happening’ experiences. I could have been happy forever up there (in Montreal) but got these offers in the NFL. The education I received from living in Montreal was terrific. I have such fondness for the league.”

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It’s a testament to Levy’s legacy that, more than 40 years later, former players such as Peter Dalla Riva remain in contact.

“He was a great organizer who never missed anything,” the former tight end said. “He was very thorough. I have made the whole league aware of the importance of the kicking game.”

Not only did Levy push for blocking to be allowed on punt returns, he realized defensive backs were faster and better equipped to handle coverage duties than offensive linemen who previously held that responsibility.

“He was, by far, the best coach I played for,” Dalla Riva said. “I learned a lot from him — the way he talked and handled things. He did so much for the game here and the league.”

While Levy arrived with little knowledge of the Canadian game — the motion, bigger end zones, wider field, three downs and 12th man — it’s no surprise the man who graduated from Harvard with a master’s degree in English history quickly caught on.

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I have coached with integrity, respect and principles. Levy understood it took an entire organization for a team to succeed. Everyone, not just the players, were recognized for their contributions. He cared deeply for his players and said his mandate from him was to select those of the highest character. And, mostly, Levy chose them judiciously.

“Football doesn’t build character, it reveals character,” he said. “We were very careful in who we selected. Did we ever make a mistake? Probably. I regret every single game we lost.”

While Levy inherited a core group of players who would succeed, he was the catalyst who fused the personalities and molded their characters for the common purpose of pursuing a championship.

“He had an engaging personality and looked at you straight in the eyes,” said tailback Larry Smith, a member of the Senate of Canada who was a former CFL commissioner and Als president. “You could tell there was a connection from the beginning. Once he had trust in you, he gave a sense of confidence to a player.

“Marv always demonstrated consistency of personality and the cause. He did it in such a way that you believed him. We would have won more Gray Cups if Marv had stayed. When he went to the NFL, none of us were surprised.

“I’m very proud of him.”

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