Hall of Fame Coach Marv Levy on His Second Career Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Hall of Fame Football Coach Marv Levy Found the Write Stuff in His Second Act

Beloved Buffalo Bills coach wrote his first book at 79 — and is still going strong at 95

Ron Vesely/Getty Images Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Levy will never be accused of playing it safe. And, at age 95, he's still looking for chapel ceilings to paint. Peter Brouillet/Getty Images Peter Brouillet/Getty Images Few football coaches have enjoyed more interesting second acts than Levy, who has spent the last quarter-century putting pen to paper. After leading the Buffalo Bills to an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowls and more victories than any coach in franchise history, Levy retired in 1998 at age 72. He's tied with Chicago's George “Papa Bear” Halas as the oldest coach in National Football League history. For several years, Levy kept his hand in the game, working as a national studio analyst for Fox Sports and even returning to Buffalo to serve briefly as Bills general manager. But since retirement, his main focus has been on writing. The 2001 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame inductee published his first book — a memoir titled Where Else Would You Rather Be? — at 79, and it earned a spot on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Five years later, he coauthored a book about the greatest plays in Bills history. At 86, Levy wrote his first novel, a mystery called Between the Lies. And three years ago, at 92, he penned his first children's book, a never-give-up tale about his beloved Chicago Cubs finally winning the World Series after a 108-year drought. He's also compiled a still-unpublished collection of poems.

War injury spurs reading

Levy's mother, Ida, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, was a voracious reader, and her love of storytelling rubbed off on him. Still, it wasn't until he was serving in the Army Air Forces A Tale of Two Cities
Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > "After I was done with football, I'd ask myself, ‘Well, what am I going to do today?’ ‘’ he says. “And I'd say, ‘I'm going to sit down and write some poetry.’ Or ‘I'm going to write a short story.’ And it all just sort of flowed from there."

Still moving and learning

These days, Levy spends much of his time with his wife, Fran, and their daughter and grandchildren. The former runner's exercise routine now consists of hour-long walks through Chicago's Lincoln Park and light weight lifting. He and Fran were scheduled to travel to London next month for a World War II history trip that included a boat ride across the English Channel to the Normandy beaches in France, . That vacation was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Levy hopes to make the trek next year. In the meantime, he might try writing another novel. “There are some plotlines and characters that have been bouncing around in my head,'’ he says. “It's probably a long shot I'll bring them to life on paper, but you never know." The old coach stays in touch with several former Bills, including general manager Bill Polian, quarterback Jim Kelly, special-teamer Steve Tasker and running back Thurman Thomas. Although it's been 22 years since he coached his final game in Buffalo, Levy remains revered there. There's even been a recent movement by fans to rename the Bills stadium after him. The nonagenarian remains intellectually curious, which conjures another Marvism: “You don't grow old until you lose all your marvels.” Levy clearly hasn't. More on home-family AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS