mary owen Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 the old man is unflappable when doing interviews. With a master's degree in English history from Harvard, the Hall of Fame coach is one of the most formidable minds to ponder over "Should we go for it or punt?" At 77, and five years out of the game, he writes a weekly column on NFL.com. SI: Which historical figure proved most effective for a pregame speech? Levy: I've used Winston Churchill more than any other because he provided inspiration against overwhelming odds. SI: Is poetry a good motivator for NFL players? Levy: I would say it generally isn’t, which is why it’s so important to be very selective. The fact that’s it’s something that isn’t normally used, I think, if properly used, can grab attention. SI: What’s the most influential book in the 20th century? Levy: The one that influenced me the most was A Tale Of Two Cities. In high school I was a very mediocre student. My highest grade in high school was lower than my lowest grade in college. When I was in the service and hurt my knee, one day I went down to the hospital reading room and I found only one book there. It was A Tale Of Two Cities. So I read it and I was blown away. I was fascinated and I started to read all of Dickens. SI: Would you read NFL.com if you didn't write for it? Levy: I probably would because -- and this is a tough admission -- I just became Internet conversant four months ago. Welcome to the new millennium! SI: If I have time for only one NFL.com column, do I go with yours, Bill Parcells, or Art Shell’s? Levy: That is a matter of personal choice. SI: Best team you’ve seen this year? Levy: I think the best one is Denver SI: What would have happened had you got the Harvard head coaching job in 1970 instead of Joe Restic? Levy: I may have stayed there forever like Joe did. SI: How long would it take me to read your Harvard thesis on the WWII lend-lease program? Levy: It wouldn't take you that long to read it. But it would take you a long time to prepare it. SI: There are four Jewish men in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Can you name the other three? Levy: Oh, man. Sid Gillman, Sid Luckman and I don’t know. SI: Ron Mix. Levy: Yeah, I did know that. SI: You won the Grey Cup twice as coach of the CFL's Montreal Alouettes. Do you know how to say, "You're an overofficious jerk," in French? Levy: I was nicer than that. I would just say, "Bonjour, monsieur." SI: You’ve coached for 47 years at various levels. Is there one year that stands out the most rewarding? Levy: I can’t say that. Certainly I remember most my coaching days in Buffalo and at William and Mary, who were the greatest group of overachievers I ever coached. SI: You’ve been a NFL coach, a college coach, a CFL coach and had to sit through Jay Mohr’s monologue on a morning show. Which of those was the toughest assignment? Levy: Pro coaching is a lot more enjoyable than college coaching because you’re not recruiting and you can devote much more time to football. But I won’t put the finger on Jay. He was fun to joust with. I do prefer doing a television show on football where entertainment is second in importance, and information and insight is foremost. I see all those pregame shows gravitating in the other direction. SI: What would you have done if one of your receivers had signed a ball with a Sharpie after scoring a TD? Levy: I had only two rules. Don't be late. And be a good citizen. I would try very hard to educate him not to do that, but I wouldn't fine him. SI: Would the football fan be better off if the USFL had made it? Levy: I know the USFL would have been better off. SI: You coached at Berkeley in the early 60s. How come you didn’t become a hippie? Levy: It convinced me not to become one. I was only in my young 30s but it was a changing of the guard from my generation. We used to have sit-ins in our practice fields. One time we were playing Southern California and there were sit-ins at the field. Then we’d try to practice at a high school field and the word leaked we were going there, too. We couldn’t practice at all and I needn’t tell you won the Southern Cal game. SI: Would you want to coach in the NFL again? Levy: Probably so. I would not close the door on it. SI: Do you root for the Bills when you watch them on TV? Levy: Yeah, I do. There are only two or three players that are still there when I was there but I have a great regard (Bills owner) Ralph Wilson and the people of Buffalo. SI: If Scott Norwood’s field goal would have sailed through the uprights, would your Bills teams still have had the perseverance to get to four straight Super Bowls? Levy: You can never one-hundred percent know but I think that team had magnificent perseverance. I don’t think the motivation of that group of men diminished had we won that game. I don’t think they would have felt, "OK, we’ve done it." SI: When is the last time you viewed any of the four Super Bowl games? Levy: The only postseason game I’ve looked at two or three times was our Houston comeback game [in 1993] If I have a party with the coaching staff of that group, we’ll put that on and have a good time with it. SI: If you had to bet whether a team will make four straight Super Bowls, as your Bills did, what's your call? Levy: First, commissioner Tagliabue will not allow me to bet. And, yes, but only if I coach it. SI: Who is the most underappreciated coach in history? Levy: One guy that won a lot of games and you never hear about for the Hall of Fame is Chuck Knox. SI: Which player that you coached should be in the Hall of Fame that is not currently in the Hall of Fame? Levy: The first one that is active for consideration is Steve Tasker. If special teams are one-third of the game, and it is showing more and more this year that it is, there is no one comes close to being the special teams player that he was. SI: If you needed one play to win a game using any players in history, what do you call? Levy: Of course it all depends on whether you’re running or passing it. If it’s a pass play, give me Jerry Rice. If it’s a running play, give me Walter Payton. SI: Do you think of 83-year-old Andy Rooney as an old codger? Levy: The people who decry what Andy said as a prejudicial remark always come back to "He's an old curmudgeon" or "It's his generation." They are being more prejudicial and age-biased in their criticism. I think [ageism] is the one prejudice people still accept. SI: Any advice on how to stay so energetic at 77? Levy: Age is inevitable. Aging isn't. I exercise a lot. And I try to keep my mind working by answering questions like these. SI: You were famous for saying to players prior to kickoff: "Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?" Isn’t that what you’re thinking as we complete this interview? Levy: Yes, I’ve enjoyed it. —Richard Deitsch Issue date: Oct. 28, 2002 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarthur31 Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Excellent freakin read man! Thanks for posting it. Saved to my archives. Good stuff. Loved this one: SI: If you had to bet whether a team will make four straight Super Bowls, as your Bills did, what's your call? Levy: First, commissioner Tagliabue will not allow me to bet. And, yes, but only if I coach it. BTW, what issue was this? I want to read the whole thing and find a copy of this for sale on E-bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mary owen Posted June 14, 2006 Author Share Posted June 14, 2006 Excellent freakin read man! Thanks for posting it. Saved to my archives. Good stuff. Loved this one: SI: If you had to bet whether a team will make four straight Super Bowls, as your Bills did, what's your call? Levy: First, commissioner Tagliabue will not allow me to bet. And, yes, but only if I coach it. BTW, what issue was this? I want to read the whole thing and find a copy of this for sale on E-bay. 708082[/snapback] sorry man, I found it on the net. it was si.com. you might be able to google it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheRocks Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 SI: Would the football fan be better off if the USFL had made it? Levy: I know the USFL would have been better off. SI: You coached at Berkeley in the early 60s. How come you didn’t become a hippie? Levy: It convinced me not to become one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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