Former Buffalo Bills’ Head Coach Marv Levy Writes Children’s Book
By Ryan Brennan
Former Buffalo Bills’ head coach Marv Levy is a huge Chicago Cubs supporter and he even wrote a children’s book about it.
“Never give up.” That was the message former Buffalo Bills‘ head coach Marv Levy was spreading in his children’s book titled Go Cubs Go — a children’s story centered around the history of the Chicago Cubs and the concept of never giving up.
Marv Levy is a native of Chicago and has been a Chicago Cubs’ fan for as long as he can remember, so it was no surprise that he wanted to help celebrate the end of the Cubs’ 108-year championship drought. However, it was a bit of a surprise that it came in the form of a children’s book.
Levy’s long history as a Cubs’ fan dates back to his teenage years and was even at the World Series’ Game 7 in 1945 between the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers — a game the Cubs lost 9-3. It was the last time the Cubs would make it to the World Series before winning it last season in an epic 7-game series vs. the Cleveland Indians.
In an interview with Sal Maiorana, Marv Levy opened up about his love of the Chicago Cubs and his new children’s book — which was released in January.
"“The last time the Cubs were in the World Series, World War II had just ended and I was home on furlough,” Levy said. “I listened to Game 6 on the radio, the Cubs won it, and a friend of mine and I rushed down to get tickets to Game 7. The line was out of sight, but everybody in (military) uniform was moved to the front, including me, so we got tickets. Well, as you know the Cubs lost and everyone leaving the stadium was saying ‘Wait ‘til next year.’ That’s what they did for the next 71 years.”"
In the children’s book, Marv Levy tells the story of an elderly bear teaching two baby bears (cubs) the history of the Chicago Cubs — which can easily be summed up with three words, “Never give up.” The elderly bear, named Papa Bruno, represents Marv Levy and his love affair with the team, while the two cubs represent his two grandchildren, Georgey and Angela.
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Papa Bruno not only outlines the last four times the Cubs made it to the World Series — 1932, 1935, 1938 and 1945 — but also outlines some of the more important players of those generations and how they helped create a “never give up” mentality in Chicago.
"“I had Bruno name some of the stars of the 1929 team (that lost to the Philadelphia Athletics in the Series) like Hack Wilson and Kiki Cuyler, and he named players from ‘32, ‘35, ‘38 and ’45 (the last four World Series-losing teams),” said Levy. “It’s a kid’s history of the Cubs with the underlying theme being to never give up. They came close (before 2016), but they never gave up.”"
The nearly 1,500-word book took just 10 days to write and will go down as a historical memento to the epic championship. Levy is currently traveling the city of Chicago doing book signings and reading the book to children at schools. I encourage everyone to purchase the book, whether you have children or not.
Every now and then, we need a reminder that things might not go our way, but that’s no reason to give up — even on a 17-year playoff drought.
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It’s even better coming from Marv Levy, who is the GOAT when it comes to Buffalo Bills‘ coaching. In his 11 years as a head coach, he led the Bills to 6 AFC East titles, 4 consecutive AFC Championships and 4 consecutive Super Bowls.
As for the NFL, Marv Levy said the following to Sal Maiarana:
"“I have to admit I haven’t paid close attention to the NFL,” he said. “I look at the scores, but I really don’t know much about it right now. I used to know every assistant coach in the league, but I can’t say that I do anymore.”"
He might not have gotten the ultimate prize with the Buffalo Bills like the Chicago Cubs did last year, but it could mean that Buffalo is do for a championship soon.
Keep on bill-ieving fans, the Cubs sure did.
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How much longer do you think Buffalo Bills‘ fans will have to wait for a championship? Leave your comments below.