Former Buffalo Bills Head Coach Marv Levy To Receive 2019 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
October 30, 2018
Former Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy has been named the recipient of the AFCA’s 2019 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. The award is given to those “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests in football,” and will be presented to Levy during the 2019 AFCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
“I am overwhelmingly complimented and honored to have my name added to the list of magnificent coaches who have so honored this game that we all revere,” Marv Levy said. “Many of them were heroes of mine way back many years ago when I was just an aspiring coach myself, and there are others who coached teams against whom my teams competed fiercely, but always played with great respect.”
After graduating and lettering in football, basketball and track at Coe College and earning a master’s degree from Harvard, Levy began his coaching career at St. Louis Country Day School, coaching football and basketball. He would spend two years with the school before returning to Coe in 1953 to become an assistant coach. One year later, he joined the coaching staff at the University of New Mexico and was elevated to head coach in 1958. In his two seasons leading the Lobos, Levy earned Skyline Conference Coach of the Year honors and achieved an overall record of 14-6.
In 1960, Levy took over at the University of California-Berkley. After four seasons with the Bears, he was named the head coach at the College of William & Mary, twice earing Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors in his five seasons there.
Making The Jump To The NFL
Levy began his professional coaching career in 1969 as the kicking teams coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. One year later, he moved on to the Los Angeles Rams as special teams coach under head coach George Allen. He moved with Allen to Washington in 1971, again serving as the Redskins’ special teams coach for two seasons.
Levy left the NFL for the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1973, serving as the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. He led the Alouettes to three CFL Grey Cup appearances and two Grey Cup championships (1974 and 1977). Levy also won the Annis Stukus Trophy (CFL Coach of the Year) in 1974.
Levy returned to the NFL in 1978 as the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. He coached there for five seasons, steadily improving the Chiefs each year. In 1981, Levy led Kansas City to a 9-7 overall record and a third place finish in the American Football Conference (AFC) Western Division.
Levy spent 1984 as the head coach of the United States Football League’s Chicago Blitz. Halfway through the 1986 season, he returned to the NFL as head coach of the Buffalo Bills. After two rebuilding years, Levy guided the Bills to a 12-4 record in 1988 and the first of six AFC Eastern Division titles. From 1988 to 1997, the Bills were second only to the San Francisco 49ers in winning percentage. Levy guided Buffalo to four straight AFC Championships from 1990-93 and four straight Super Bowl appearances. In his 11 seasons at Buffalo, Levy earned NFL Coach of the Year honors in 1988 and AFC Coach of the Year honors in 1988, 1993 and 1995. Following the 1997 season, he retired as the winningest coach in the team’s history with 112 victories.
Getting The Call From The Hall
In 2001, Levy was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In 2006, he returned to Buffalo as general manger for the Bills. After two years as general manager, he retired again and returned to live in Chicago. Since his retirement, he has written or co-written a total of four books.
The Award
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Award is given to the “individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football.” Its purpose is “to perpetuate the example and influence of Amos Alonzo Stagg.” The award is named in honor of a man who was instrumental in founding the AFCA in the 1920s. He is considered one of the great innovators and motivating forces in the early development of the game of football. The plaque given to each recipient is a replica of the one given to Stagg at the 1939 AFCA Convention in tribute to his 50 years of service to football.
About Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg began his coaching career at the School of Christian Workers, now Springfield (Mass.) College, after graduating from Yale University in 1888. Stagg also served as head coach at Chicago (1892-1932) and College of the Pacific (1933-1946). His 41 seasons at Chicago is one of the longest head coaching tenures in the history of the college game. Among the innovations credited to Stagg are the tackling dummy, the huddle, the reverse play, man in motion, knit pants, numbering plays and players, and the awarding of letters. A long-time AFCA member, Stagg was the Association’s 1943 Coach of the Year. According to NCAA records, Stagg’s 57-year record as a college head coach is 314-199-35. He was 84 years old when he ended his coaching career at Pacific in 1946. He died in 1965 at the age of 103.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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Former Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy has been named the recipient of the AFCA’s 2019 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. The award is given to those “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests in football,” and will be presented to Levy during the 2019 AFCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
“I am overwhelmingly complimented and honored to have my name added to the list of magnificent coaches who have so honored this game that we all revere,” Marv Levy said. “Many of them were heroes of mine way back many years ago when I was just an aspiring coach myself, and there are others who coached teams against whom my teams competed fiercely, but always played with great respect.”
After graduating and lettering in football, basketball and track at Coe College and earning a master’s degree from Harvard, Levy began his coaching career at St. Louis Country Day School, coaching football and basketball. He would spend two years with the school before returning to Coe in 1953 to become an assistant coach. One year later, he joined the coaching staff at the University of New Mexico and was elevated to head coach in 1958. In his two seasons leading the Lobos, Levy earned Skyline Conference Coach of the Year honors and achieved an overall record of 14-6.
In 1960, Levy took over at the University of California-Berkley. After four seasons with the Bears, he was named the head coach at the College of William & Mary, twice earing Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors in his five seasons there.
Making The Jump To The NFL
Levy began his professional coaching career in 1969 as the kicking teams coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. One year later, he moved on to the Los Angeles Rams as special teams coach under head coach George Allen. He moved with Allen to Washington in 1971, again serving as the Redskins’ special teams coach for two seasons.
Levy left the NFL for the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1973, serving as the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. He led the Alouettes to three CFL Grey Cup appearances and two Grey Cup championships (1974 and 1977). Levy also won the Annis Stukus Trophy (CFL Coach of the Year) in 1974.
Levy returned to the NFL in 1978 as the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. He coached there for five seasons, steadily improving the Chiefs each year. In 1981, Levy led Kansas City to a 9-7 overall record and a third place finish in the American Football Conference (AFC) Western Division.
Levy spent 1984 as the head coach of the United States Football League’s Chicago Blitz. Halfway through the 1986 season, he returned to the NFL as head coach of the Buffalo Bills. After two rebuilding years, Levy guided the Bills to a 12-4 record in 1988 and the first of six AFC Eastern Division titles. From 1988 to 1997, the Bills were second only to the San Francisco 49ers in winning percentage. Levy guided Buffalo to four straight AFC Championships from 1990-93 and four straight Super Bowl appearances. In his 11 seasons at Buffalo, Levy earned NFL Coach of the Year honors in 1988 and AFC Coach of the Year honors in 1988, 1993 and 1995. Following the 1997 season, he retired as the winningest coach in the team’s history with 112 victories.
Getting The Call From The Hall
In 2001, Levy was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In 2006, he returned to Buffalo as general manger for the Bills. After two years as general manager, he retired again and returned to live in Chicago. Since his retirement, he has written or co-written a total of four books.
The Award
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Award is given to the “individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football.” Its purpose is “to perpetuate the example and influence of Amos Alonzo Stagg.” The award is named in honor of a man who was instrumental in founding the AFCA in the 1920s. He is considered one of the great innovators and motivating forces in the early development of the game of football. The plaque given to each recipient is a replica of the one given to Stagg at the 1939 AFCA Convention in tribute to his 50 years of service to football.
About Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg began his coaching career at the School of Christian Workers, now Springfield (Mass.) College, after graduating from Yale University in 1888. Stagg also served as head coach at Chicago (1892-1932) and College of the Pacific (1933-1946). His 41 seasons at Chicago is one of the longest head coaching tenures in the history of the college game. Among the innovations credited to Stagg are the tackling dummy, the huddle, the reverse play, man in motion, knit pants, numbering plays and players, and the awarding of letters. A long-time AFCA member, Stagg was the Association’s 1943 Coach of the Year. According to NCAA records, Stagg’s 57-year record as a college head coach is 314-199-35. He was 84 years old when he ended his coaching career at Pacific in 1946. He died in 1965 at the age of 103.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
