Let’s Go Buffalo, Do It For Levy

Being born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, I root exclusively for teams from my city except on rare occasions.

I was a New York Knicks fan last year, and not as a bandwagon jumper, as they went all the way. I lived in Washington Heights in Manhattan, a short walk to the basketball Mecca that is the Rucker, and taught in the South Bronx from 2010-13, all of which makes me an honorary New Yorker. But it’s not even that.

My teaching mentor, Jason Baker, was raised in the South Bronx and I knew how happy he’d be if the Knicks won their first championship since 1973. New York is a city full of outsiders, people not born and raised there, like me. So, I’m sure there were a lot of people there who shrugged their shoulders to the Knicks winning. But if I know the hard-core, built-in-New-York New Yorkers, last year’s run to the NBA title was their proudest sports moment ever.

It might be hard to believe with the Yankees winning so many World Series, but New York is a Knicks town above all. They consider basketball a religion in NYC, just like folks in Indiana. I know how embarrassed Knicks fans were at their title-less drought. I like New Yorkers, I enjoyed all of the things you can do in the city (best plays and bacon, egg and cheese and deli sandwiches in the world, second-best pizza) and I learned a lot about teaching there. So I was down with the Knicks last season. Good for New York and congratulations.

I was as happy when the Texas Rangers won their first World Series title three seasons ago. I worked in Arlington, where the Rangers play, for three years and lived in the Dallas, Fort Worth area for six. I have friends I haven’t talked to in decades who I know, if they’re still alive, count the Rangers winning their title as a life highlight. So, I was rooting for the Rangers, since I had no Chicago dog in the race. I could relate to the Rangers fans in 2011, when they were twice one strike away from winning the Series in game six but blew it. Cubs-esque.

I have a soft spot for Ohio State football for a couple of reasons. I’m a big fan of their legendary coach Woody Hayes and I lived in Dayton for six years. A one-hour drive to Ohio State in Columbus, Dayton shuts down — as does much of the state — on Buckeyes game day. I liked Daytonians; if you want to get a good idea of their temperament, watch WKRP in Cincinnati. In looking back at my six-year run at the Dayton Daily News, I fondly recall the newsroom. And my colleagues’ sense of humor, quirkiness and friendliness and the family-like atmosphere at the paper reminds me of the hit TV show.

And what’s not to like about Hayes? I mean, other than the obvious: He regularly berated the media, game officials and his players; chucked a yard marker like a javelin over what he thought was a blown call and was fined and suspended because of it; stubbornly would never change his game plan (three yards and a cloud of dust), preventing himself from winning more than the five NCAA titles his teams own, despite annually having arguably the best talent of any team in the country; putting his hands on an opposing player, which ultimately got him fired.

These are minor infractions (wink). The fact is, the man was, above all, an educator, an associate professor at Ohio State who taught physical education, English and military history. He was emphatic that university professors make more money than the school’s football coach and chafed at the idea of being the highest paid employee at the school.

Plus, the man served in World War II. So, go, Bucks, go.

I’ve recently added one other non-Chicago team to my list of those I’m willing to root for, the Buffalo Bills. It has nothing to do with the fact they’ve famously lost all four Super Bowls they’ve appeared in.

No, it would be nice if the Bills finally won it all because I’m sure it would delight Marv Levy, who is still alive at 101 years old.

I’ve been a fan of Levy, who was the head coach for the Bills in all of their Super Bowl losses, since I was a teenager, as he was the head coach of the USFL’s Chicago Blitz in 1984. The Blitz’s run in Chicago lasted just two years, but I was a fan. If you slapped the word Chicago in front of whatever team and sport you were playing, I was in. So, even though the Blitz was terrible by the time Levy took over, I still rooted for them.

Fast forward to 2026, and as I’ve aged, I’ve grown to appreciate people whose professional career arc mirrors mine. I paid my dues in the newspaper industry. I started out as a stringer covering high school football games and a clerk answering phones and kept trying to climb the ladder, covering a multitude of sports, obscure and otherwise, at various newspapers throughout the country. I did all that for 15 years.

Levy, too, paid his dues. He was a high school coach, college assistant coach and college head coach before entering the NFL ranks as a lowly kickers coach. After coaching as an NFL assistant, Levy moved to Canada to coach Montreal’s pro team from 1973-77. Finally, at 52, he earned his first NFL head coaching gig with the Kansas City Chiefs.

What a resume.

He’s written several books since retiring, which should surprise no one. He holds a master’s degree in English history from Harvard.

A native Chicagoan, Levy graduated from Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) South Shore High School. Not too long after graduating, Levy served in World War II, like Hayes.

His former Bills players speak glowingly about him, and they know how appreciative he’d be if the team finally won the Super Bowl. They have a pretty good chance, as they’re one of the top teams in the league and their quarterback, Josh Allen, is considered in many circles the best QB in football.

Win one for Levy.

This is my fifth year at my current CPS school. I was there for two years, left for one to teach at a fantastic school but returned after several former students emailed and implored me to return. I took them up on it, but I wasn’t necessarily thrilled about it, as it’s hard to work at the school for myriad reasons. I chronicled my return in my book, and I used Levy quotes as inspiration. In fact, it’s the walk-off line from my memoir. Here it is:

Here we go.

Again.

Bye bye utopia.

Hello dystopia.

Everybody can’t do this. Teachers come and go at my schools. Because it’s a mother.

But when it’s too much for them, it’s just right for me. Isn’t that what football coach and Chicago native Marv Levy always preached to his men?

Where else would you rather be?