John Murphy: As Marv Levy turns 100, his legacy is worth celebrating

It was smack-dab in the middle of the Roaring Twenties. “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” and “Sweet Georgia Brown” were the latest popular songs.

Paul Newman, B.B. King and Jack Lemmon were born in 1925.

So was Marv Levy. The legendary Buffalo Bills coach continues to thrive as he celebrates his 100th birthday this weekend with ceremonies at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

The NFL -- only a few years older than Levy -- had 20 teams in 1925, including the Buffalo Bisons. Player rosters were capped at 16 men per team. The league has changed dramatically, and Levy has kept up.

“I’m totally overwhelmed getting ready to head to Canton,” Levy told me in a brief conversation earlier this week. 

“We’re being ultra-swamped with family, et cetera,” he said, “but I’m going back to celebrate my 100th.”

Friday night, Levy will attend the annual Gold Jacket Dinner where he will be serenated with “Happy Birthday” by fellow Hall of Famers. Saturday, he’s scheduled to be the first Hall of Famer introduced to the crowd by Chris Berman.

Levy's first head coaching job came in the college ranks at New Mexico in 1958, at 33 years old. His collegiate career took him to Cal and William and Mary.

He was an NFL assistant coach in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Washington before getting a head coaching gig with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in and 1973, and then the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs in 1978. He came to the Bills in 1986 at age 61, and went on to win four AFC titles and six division crowns.

He never won a Super Bowl and that will always stay with him. But he should be remembered for more than that.

As I wrote in my book, “If These Walls Could Talk”:

“…with the passage of time, fans and football historians have come to develop a deeper appreciation of that impressive streak. It’s damn hard to get to one Super bowl, let alone two, three, or four straight, And if we are going to blame Levy for not winning any of them, then we also need to praise him for instilling the will in his players to keep fighting to get back.”

As he looks back, Levy remembers people. This week he recalled fond memories of baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who recently died at age 65. He remembers losing out in a recruiting battle for Sandberg when he coached at Cal. They reconnected years later in Chicago.

“We became close friends here in Chicago,” Levy said. “We became co-owners of Harry Caray’s Restaurant among many others. He was at my Hall of Fame induction; I was at his Hall of Fame induction. He was a great guy.”

That’s Marv Levy. He doesn’t care about Sandberg’s Gold Glove Awards or All Star appearances. Levy’s lack of Super Bowl titles and NFL recognition are not important.

Marv Levy is 100 years old with thousands of friends and countless admirers. That’s worth celebrating.