Top 3 Buffalo Bills who came over from the CFL

1. The Legendary Coach

Surprise!

Sure, Marv Levy did not play a single snap for the Bills, but he is unequivocally the franchise’s greatest head coach. In addition, he also managed to attain equally impressive success north of the border.

Even prior to beginning his coaching career, Levy’s resume would be of the platinum standard variety if posted on Indeed.com. A Harvard educated, World War II Air Force veteran, who just happened to be a masterful leader of men on the football field.

After a few seasons as an assistant in the U.S. college ranks, Levy had a mixed bag of results over the course of a decade as head coach of the University of New Mexico, University of California and William & Mary University starting in 1958.

He then chose to take a step back and join the NFL ranks as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles (1969, kicking coach), Los Angeles Rams (1970, special teams coach), and Washington Redskins (1971-72, specials teams coach). It was the following season that Levy took a leap of faith that vaulted his coaching trajectory into a different stratosphere.

The charismatic Levy decided to take a head coaching job with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes in time for the 1973 season. Ironically, his family had emigrated from Montreal to his eventual place of birth, Chicago, Illinois. Equipped with a brilliant mind and an ever-growing football IQ, Levy went on to lead his Alouettes to two Grey Cup championships (and three championship appearances in total) during his five years with the team.

He then decided to head south to achieve his ultimate goal of being a successful NFL head coach. After registering a modest 31-42 record with the Kansas City Chiefs, Levy’s future head coaching career in the NFL was certainly at a crossroads. That was until (then) owner, Ralph Wilson came a calling.

Levy was brought in midway through the 1986 season after the team decided to unceremoniously dismiss incumbent Hank Bullough after a paltry 2-7 start. The upstart Levy quickly developed a strong rapport with his newly inherited players, which included star rookie Jim Kelly. 112 wins and four AFC championships later, and Levy’s imprint will forever be felt within the team’s history.

With an unparalleled lexicon coupled with an insatiable zest for life, Levy was best known for his countless, timeless quotes over the years. Most notably, “Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?”, which is still periodically leveraged by the organization.

In 2001, Levy was rightfully inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Not surprisingly, the articulate gentleman was also selected to perform induction speeches for many of the players who were also enshrined in Canton in subsequent years. A truly special man Marv Levy was and continues to be.

Next: The Bears could be the blueprint for the Bills

Suffice it to say, Bills fans should acknowledge the effect the CFL has had in shaping some of the team’s major successes over the past half century.