Marv Levy: Where Else Would You Rather Be?

by Marv Levy, Jim Kelly (Foreword)

This book is about one man's life as a football coach and much more. Forty-seven years of joyous celebrations after victories and crushing disappointments after defeats are encompassed in it, but it is about more than just touchdowns and interceptions. It is about how a person like Marv Levy, dedicated to his life's work, can begin his career as the obscure assistant coach of a high school junior varsity team and then one day, decades later, lead his men out onto the field in football's greatest spectacle--the Super Bowl. Readers are invited to come experience what it was like to be on the sidelines and be the winning coach in a game that has been designated as the greatest upset in collegiate football history and then be there again 25 years later when an injury-riddled team, losing 35-3 in the second half, rallies and then miraculously goes on to achieve the greatest comeback victory in the history of the National Football League. Fans will learn what it was like to wallow in the exhilaration that comes from leading a team to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, only to follow it with the desolation that strikes when all four of those games end in defeat. But they will also learn about the character, persistence, and personalities of those incomparable Buffalo Bills of the 1990s who so resolutely pursued their impossible dream. There will be some laughs and there may be some tears. Readers will meet the people who shaped this coach's life, and they will wind up feeling close to them. They will look forward to each adventure contained in these pages, and when each new one does come, they are likely to say, along with the author, "Where else would I rather be than right here--rightnow "

Genres: Sports, Football, Biography, Leadership, Memoir

414 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Xenophon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad would take me to the Geneseo Air Show growing up. We went for the planes, of course, but there was an old pilot there who would narrate their flights. He would explain from memory how those WWII birds would behave in combat, and between their flights he'd recall often funny stories from the war. These recollections were told with humility and charm. They had a midcentury magic in them.

So, it's no surprise to me Marv Levy was in the USAAF. During the Big One, he worked as a weather man at a glider training facility in Florida. Reading this book, I could hear the old ace's voice again, only this time he's mostly telling me about football! I loved reading most of the book for this reason. It is super cool to learn the history of the game from a smart man who lived it. He really put care into every recollection- you get a feel for the character of the teams he coached, the towns he lived in, etc. This book is a great time overall.

My one nit-pick is that the Bills are given less attention than I hoped for going in. Yes, they get about 100 pages, but Levy breezes through them except for certain moments like the Frank Reich comeback against the Houston Oilers. There is no question there are interesting things to be learned in this final quarter of the book and Levy's perspective is always valuable, but there really should have been more meat about the games.

This is a great book, but not perfect. It takes the Conference Championship, but not the Bowl. I really hope a sports journalist or historian gives us an account of Levy's Bills like Peter Richmond did for Madden's Raiders. If that aspiring writer does exist, this book will of course be an essential primary source for them.

[Steven Hummer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad raised me a Buffalo Bills fan and in my 21 years of life all I have known is disappointment and defeat but I am still and always will be a big Bills fan!
The book is not a dry read/listen of football history Marv has a great sense of humor it's worth your time looking at the footnotes he has in the book.
This is a good book I really wanted to hear allot about my Buffalo BIlls but Marv tells much more than that he recounts his coaching days in collage, the CFL and then his coaching of some other teams in the NFL before mentioning my beloved team.
I got the audio book downloaded to my Victor Stream (basically a blind man's version of a iPod)The narrator does a ok job he is definatly not in my top choices for a reader but it was the content the football talk that I cared about and really enjoyed allot of the time with audio books one must simply bite the bullet and enjoy what he has been given.
If you are a big Bills fan you should read this book
"Where else would you rather be then right here right now?" reading this book.
GO BILLS!

[Clifton Rankin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of football season called for a football book, and Marv Levy’s, “Where Else Would You Rather Be?” scratched that itch. Beginning with his childhood in Chicago, Levy describes his life, both personal and professional, in an interesting and humorous way. I learned much that I didn’t know: his time coaching college ball, his foray into the CFL (he won two Grey Cups with the Montreal Alouettes), and eventually those prime years with the Buffalo Bills. The chapter about the time he coached for George Allen was worth the price of the book. For me it was a trek down memory lane remembering his years coaching Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett, Steve Tasker, and the list goes on. Great book if you have some gray in your hair. (414 pages)

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a Bills fan. It follows the pattern of most books about football in it's just a bit too long due to too many play-by-plays. The book is 400 pages and you don't get to the Bills era until around page 300. That's not to say that there's nothing interesting in the first 300 pages, but it was still a bit tedious, considering his long coaching career up to that point. I'm still happy that I read it.

[Anthony Sperando · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cool inside look at Marv Levy's career and the Bills "Dynasty". Unfortunately most of this book drags on with Levy's college coaching and CFL career. I will say the chapter about his time coaching the Chicago Blitz of the USFL was really interesting. I would recommend this to any Buffalo Bills super fan or football history fan, but not to any casual fan.

Read on Kindle via Library check-out via Libby app. (I also owned the book)

[Mike Pesarchick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quintessential read for any Bills fan. It can be a little bit of a slog to get through, especially discussing his time between the CFL and his stint with Buffalo, but it's a rewarding read and an entertaining inside look at the 1990s Bills and the love and brotherhood between the players and the coaches.

[Joe Seliske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Levy gives us a thorough historical view of his life. Each coaching position is described and then the life lessons that he learned from that position are described. He quotes authors, poetry and other historical statements to get ideas across to his players. He is a very cerebral writer making the reading all that much more pleasant,

[Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

The man, the myth, the legend — a book about Coach Levy’s time with the Bills by the legend himself.

I absolutely loved reading this. As a Bills fan who joined the Bills Mafia after Coach Levy’s time with the franchise had ended, this was a great bit of history that was fascinating to read in his voice.

This is a must-read for my fellow Bills fans!

[Christopher Carosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Marv Levy: Where Else Would You Rather Be?" by Marv Levy is a must read for every Buffalo Bills fan and, indeed, any fan of the football. It helps that Levy himself is both well-read and well-spoken. As a result, this is not your typically "ex-jock" biopic, but a well organized and thoughtful expose by one of the most successful coaches in NFL history. That he didn't start out that way and that he'll remain best known for losing four straight Superbowls only adds to the integrity of his philosophy and the drama to his story.

My favorite chapter is "Four Scores and Seven Minutes Ago." For those not from Buffalo, it's a recap of the greatest comeback in NFL history. That single game, and the way Levy describes it, exemplifies the power of resiliency, something Chris Berman early on recognized as one of the key character traits of Levy's Bills teams.

Read it. Enjoy it. And, as you go through life, remember to continually ask yourself, "Where else would you rather be?"

[John Rollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of biographies, they are my favorite type of book and especially auto-biographies. These are my favorite types of books because I feel you can learn so much about life in general just by reading about other peoples. I digress, this book is more than just another self-written story of a football coach who brags about his many accolades or talks about the newest and best offense, or the revolutionary, unstoppable defense. This is a story of a man whose tough decisions on the football field were nothing compared to his early life's stresses. He writes about how his childhood shaped his future in football. I'm not sure if biographies are your type of books but if they are hear is a great one. It is not all about football if that would detour you.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marv Levy keeps his personal life close to the vest so don't expect to learn much about him beyond what is gained through his recounting of his numerous football jobs. Still, I really enjoyed this auto-biography because he writes with great humility. He doesn't try to pretty up his mistakes and admits to his shortcomings in a refreshing way. He gives liberal amounts of credit to his players and coaches for his great success. As such, Coach Levy embodies many of the qualities and attributes that define those of America's greatest generation. He is inspiring and I greatly appreciate his summation regarding "functional" vs. "chronological" age.

[Jacob Wischoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marv Levy is one of the best football minds to ever be a head coach in the National Football League. As Marv gives an account of his 47 years in the NFL he litters this book with tons of nostalgia that will take the avid football fan over the edge of sports ecstasy. I am glad that I was aware of this book and that I picked it up. Marv Levy and Bill Polian gave the Buffalo Bills and Western New York a reason to Shout!!! Lets Go Buffalo! A book that will be loved by any and all Bills fans alike. Thanks for sharing Marv!!!

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiography of the man who took the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive super bowls. It is a good read.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not to be biased being a Buffalo Bills fan, but Marv Levy's autobiography has a emotional and positive outlook on things in life outside of football. Recommended read!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a ton of fun. Marv rocks.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for an NFL fan that remembers the early 90's. Got an autographed copy for xmas from Abbey because Coach Levy is a Coe College graduate!!!!

[Wesley Voit · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a biography about the greatest coach in Buffalo Bills history. How do I NOT read it?

[Mark Geise · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a big Bills fan, I am surprised I waited this long to read Marv Levy's "Where Else Would You Rather Be?" Levy is obviously a legend in Buffalo, so I welcomed reading his perspective on the great Bills teams he coached. I came into the book expecting his time with the Bills to dominate the book, but he gives fairly equal time to each of his coaching jobs, detailing his childhood, his time in the military, his time at Coe College and Harvard, and his coaching jobs at the University of New Mexico, University of California, College of William and Mary, UCLA, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Montreal Alouettes, and the Buffalo Bills, among others. Marv's personality was readily apparent as you read this book, which is what one expects from a quality autobiography.

Marv Levy lived his entire adult life immersed in football. Though most coaches eventually burn out, Marv coached well into his 70's. He even came back to serve as general manager of the Bills after this book was written (though his second stint with the Bills was largely a disappointment). What enabled him to coach into his 70's was his eternal optimism, which most of us find as somewhat unnatural. However, most of the rest of us also do not work 18 hour days for 40+ years in professional football, so of course the things that made Levy a successful coach appear unnatural to the rest of us. That eternal optimism allowed him to be bold and embrace change. The Bills teams of the early '90s really flourished when the no-huddle took on a prominent role in the offense. Now, this is a focal point of the offenses of many NFL teams, especially those with elite quarterbacks. Levy's teams also were at the forefront of rotating defensive linemen, which also is now commonplace throughout the entire NFL. The Bills were eventually brought down by the newly instituted salary cap, free agency, and the advanced ages of their star players, but their run was a testament to Levy's resilience and innovation. Bill Polian and the talent that he assembled obviously must be given loads of credit (and Marv gives Polian the credit he deserves in this book), but Levy played a major role in the success of those teams. I know that most of this book is not about the Bills, but the whole book and Levy's whole coaching life lead to his time with the Bills, so that is where my review is focused.

I enjoyed the book because I did not know a whole lot about Levy before. I was a little kid when Levy retired, so the first Bills coach I remember clearly is Wade Phillips. I am just young enough to have missed out on the Super Bowl years. Learning more about those teams is always interesting to me. I recently read Steve Tasker's book, which was short and quick. Levy's book, in contrast, is significantly longer (over 400 pages) and provides more detail. I haven't read a lot of sports autobiographies, but this is one of the best ones I have read.