European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Fail a a a a a a a a. Silver anniversary a Phi Bela Kappa Marv Levy Learned inc most important lessons from his father. By John f. Bonfatti a sports writer Orchard Park . His father a jewish immigrant from England who ran a wholesale grocery business on the South Side of Chicago left Marv Levy with a firm belief in traditional american values truth fair play and Opportunity. A a Here a a Guy who a totally honest. He a fair. I Felt he was very highly principled without being stodgy a remembered Levy. A lie once told me if you Ever told me you did no to get a Job because of any bigotry. Ill kick your butt Down state Street twice around the Loop and Halfway up the water Tower. You re going to get what you work got what he worked for first As an undersized running Back at Coe College later As a Grad student at Harvard and As a professional football coach. That Wasny to what he wanted originally. Levy graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Coe College in 1950 and headed for Harvard Law school. His parents were proud of his decision to become a lawyer he said. But after a month Levy said he became bored with studying Law. A a you do what a in your heart a he said about deciding to coach football. �?o1 know both of them his parents would have preferred my staying in Law school but they supported me a Levy said. A their attitude was a if that a what you want to do do it but do it a Levy stayed at Harvard to get his masters degree in English history then landed a Job As football coach at country Day school in St. Louis. Two years later he was Back at Coe As an assistant. From there Levy began the slow climb up the coaching ladder starting at the University of new Mexico continuing on to University of California at Berkeley and then to William and Mary. Then it was up the pro progression a assistant ships with the eagles rams and redskins the head Post with the a Fly a Montreal Alou ettes whom he guided to i Grey cup titles in 1974 and 1977, and Back to the nil As head coach of the rebuilding Kansas City chiefs in 1978. He took the chiefs from 2-12 the year before he arrived to 4-10, 7-8, 8-8 and 9-7 his first four years. But the 1982 players strike created a schism on the team and Levy was fired after the chiefs stumbled to a 3-6 Mark that season. After a stint in the Usel and the broadcast Booth. Levy returned to the nil As head coach of the Bills in 1986. Levy took Over a team that had lost 28 of 32 games Over two seasons he was 412 in 1986 and improved to 7-8 during the strike season the next year. Since then the Bills have gone 12-4, 9-7 and 13-3, winning the acc East each year. Bills general manager Bill Polian first met Levy when they worked for. The Alo Guettes. He followed Levy to work As a scout with the chiefs and their paths crossed again with the Chicago Blitz where Polian was pro personnel director. Polian ticked off the reasons he urged Bills owner Ralph Wilson to hire Levy. A professionalism. Organization. Leadership motivation. Ability to make Clear Cut decisions. Ability to see the big picture and to implement what is needed to reach those a a he Sver articulate and very patient a said wide receiver James Lofton. A the went through a lot with this team As we went through growing pains and he handled it very Well lie took Guys aside individually and talked them Levy said he a continued to treat everyone As mature adults even if we weren to acting like it at the time. I really think that helped the Guys in this team More than anything.�?�. \ a a. A a a to outclass class of 83 by Barry Wilner. A sports writer Tampa flu. A As he sat in a mexican restaurant in san Diego three years ago Jim Kelly talked about ambition. A Lew Days later either the Washington redskins or Denver Broncos would fulfil their destiny in the super bowl. Kelly was there As a Spectator. A you can to describe How much a player wants to be in that game a Kelly said. A i really envy those this year Kelly has the Chance to ild what John Elway Dan Marino and the rest of the heralded group of 1983 first round draftees Haven to achieved quarterback his team to the in l. Championship. Kelly is better equipped than Ever to do it. He has a Strong supporting cast with the Bills a team blessed with a balanced attack big play defense Bruce Smith Andre Reed Thurman Thomas Cornelius Bennett Shane con an and Darryl Talley a to relieve some of the pressure. �?o1 love this offence because i have so Many weapons around me a says Kelly a five year nit. Veteran after two Revoid breaking seasons in the Usel. A Zandie is Jim Kelly and other stars one of the Best in the business and in a glad he sop my Side of the Ball. He makes the big plays. A Thurman s the Best coming out of the Backfield Janies Lofton is a big plus Keith Mckeller at Light end is a threat. Its like if you double this Guy Fine ill go to another. A the line week in and work out that is the reason we Are successful. And in games where we need the defense it copies through.�?�. With All of these strengths it might be easy to Overlook Kelly Don t forget that the Bills won two games this season when Kelly was Outwith a knee injury. They also were 3-0 without him last season under backup Frank Reich. But that would t be fair to Kelly who has come so far since the interception plagued Early years in the physical skills the heart and the desire Are tilings he came Here with a says Bills pm Bill Polian. A but that experience is More than the physical part of it. Its the ability to read defences to make the right decisions to feel confident with those decisions and what he is finally Kelly has reached that level. In the Usel All he had to do was Wing it because secondaries were inferior and the run and shoot he guided with the Houston gamblers confounded most defences. So he threw for 83 touchdowns gained a reputation As a gunslinger and headed to the big time. A for four seasons he pet formed decently but never at the level of a Marino or Elway. Instead he generally was grouped with the jets Ken of Brien among the �?T83 first rounders a Good but not great. He also gained too much notoriety for his Mouth instead of his Arm. The celebrated run ins with tackle Howard bal Lardy Thomas and former. Bills running Back Ronnie Harmon Down the team last year. The Bills slipped from 12-4 to 9-7, barely winning a weak acc East then lost to Cleveland in the open a ing playoff game. There have been no. Such confrontations this season. And no a in a More confident in the people i have around me a Kelly says. A in �?T88, we had some great games hut i think we re More together As a team a. A major reason for that togetherness has been the Way Kelly has conducted himself away from the Arena. No More badmouthing teammates or berating them for mistakes. A we have gotten great leadership on this team from some of our Young veterans a Levy says. A they have a maturity that carries Over to the younger players a Way of providing leaderships that a winning team needs. A Jim is the Linchpin of our offence and not just this year. But this has Heen his Best season. Fie has gotten better right along Quot Kelly a relationship with offensive Coor. Dilator Ted Marc Lebroda has developed a into one of Mutual Trust. As late As 19s8 Kelly complained the offence was too conservative too predictable. But Marchibroda knew his quarterback Wasny to ready to handle the complexities of a no huddle attack or a Multi faceted passing game. A �&Quot.���. Buffalo also did no to have the weapons to. Open up Reed was the Only Quality wide receiver and Mckeller mainly played on special teams. Thomas was a Rookie Al Heit a dangerous one. This season the Bills led the league with 428. Points punctuating that proficiency in the playoffs with a 44-34 win Over Miami and the 51-3 rout of the raiders. Quot we be allowed Jim to audible much More which takes advantage of game situations a Marchibroda says. A in the past we had a limited amount of audibles and sometimes he get out of a bad play.�?�. A was far. As recognizing defences and getting the Ball to the right players its been a big plus a Kelly says of working with Marchibroda a and knowledge of what in a doing being Able to throw the Ball away at times that s one of the biggest Steps in be taken so far. Its just having a total grasp of the the 1990 version of Kelly has been just what the organization envisioned signed him to a seven year contract Worth just under s3 million annually after last season. At the time he was the highest paid player in the nil. Where else would such a player belong but in the super bowl a Quot Page 10 the stars and stripes super bowl special Friday january 25, 1.991
