Marv Levy began his coaching career before most Buffalo Bills fans were born and was a champion in the Canadian Football League before most in Buffalo heard of him.
It was that work he did from 1973 through 1977 that finally compelled the Canadian Football Hall of Fame's selection committee to include him in its 2021 class of inductees. Problem was, there were no ceremonies last year or in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
No more delays.
Levy, 96, will officially be enshrined Friday night, though he will not attend, according to Pro Football Talk. The man who guided the Bills to four straight Super Bowls thus becomes just the third person to make the Pro Football and Canadian Football Halls of Fame, joining former quarterback Warren Moon and legendary coach Bud Grant.
In just five seasons as head coach of the Montreal Alouttes, Levy compiled a 43-31-4 record while leading the team to two Grey Cup titles.
Levy came to Montreal from the former Washington Redskins, for which he served as special teams coach for two seasons, the last of which ended with a 14-7 Super Bowl loss to the undefeated Miami Dolphins.
In that game, Levy's unit was responsible for Washington's only points, blocking a field-goal attempt and then overpowering tiny kicker Garo Yepremian when he made a feeble attempt to throw the ball after it bounced right back to him.
The play remains one of the funniest moments in Super Bowl history and kept the Dolphins from capping their perfect 17-0 season with a 17-0 victory.
Levy came back to the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs after his stint in Canada but couldn't get them into the playoffs.
But he became the most successful coach in Bills' history, going 112-70 over 12 seasons and adding 11 playoff victories that included a run of four straight Super Bowl appearances from the 1990-93 seasons.
They remain the only team to reach the Super Bowl four years in a row, though they lost every time.
Nevertheless, Levy is a Buffalo legend who owns a master's degree from Harvard in English history.
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