You read the worst, now read the five most loved figures in Buffalo Sports history:
5. Marv Levy – Levy will be 86 on August 3. 86! Nonetheless, Levy’s first arrival (we shall not speak of the second) in 1986 marked a philosophical shift in the Buffalo Bills. More than probably any coach during that time (and certainly in today’s NFL), Levy evolved into more of a fatherly role and was Phil Jackson before Phil Jackson in terms of ego manager. Those Bills teams of the late ’80s and early ’90s were loaded with personalities and talent. It was Levy that managed and fostered that talent.
I’ve never thought of Levy as a master technician in the way that people look at Bill Belichick, but more of your stereotypical manager. Besides special teams, Levy was never a position coach and almost all of those responsibilities during that time went to Ted Marchibroda (offense) and Walt Corey (defense) who taught those players technique and scheme. For fans though, it was easy to love Marv Levy. He was unintimidating in stature and a well-spoken guy. He’s the guy you hope you run into in the morning at a diner in so you can hear all of his old stories. On top of his likability was the fact that Levy led the Bills on an unprecedented four year journey that made those Bills teams, players and coaches, legends in Buffalo. Even though his return to Buffalo as GM (ok, so I went there) was short-lived, ultimately it will not tarnish his legacy (like Jordan playing for the Wizards) when fans remember him. Everyone loved Marv the coach and that’s what we will all choose to remember.
4. Thurman Thomas – Sometimes distinguishing between the Bills of the ’90s is difficult. In my opinion, the two best Bills during that time were Bruce Smith and Thurman Thomas and it is by a larger margin than probably many would care to agree on. Before Marshall Faulk and the rest of the NFL evolved into having a complete back who could catch the ball out of the backfield, there was Thurman Thomas. Thomas was a marvel to watch as he could run between the tackles or bounce outside and run down the sideline. He was effective in the screen game, but he could also line up in the slot. He was a matchup nightmare, and if not for Kenny Davis’ 23 touchdowns from the 1-yard line (kidding), Thomas could have put up even greater statistical numbers.
Thomas’ play and play alone made him a fan favorite and being my favorite Buffalo sports figure of all-time made it hard to not have him on the list. Had Thomas (or any Bill of that era) played in today’s social media frenzy it would be interesting to see how they would be perceived. Thomas had an adversarial relationship with the media back then and it would be interesting to see how it would play out today. Fact remains that he doesn’t play now, and his dynamics on the field are what made him one of the greatest players in Buffalo sports history.
3. Doug Flutie – As a disclaimer, I was in the pro-Johnson corner during the late ’90s (there are millions of us that were; only I’m willing to still admit it). Had Doug Flutie not been run out of town for Johnson he arguably could have been even higher on this list. Flutie played in 39 games for the Bills. Three seasons, that’s it. But the timing of those seasons and his play on the field captivated the city and their fans. The Bills were in a lease issue with the county and suite sales were extremely low. Rumors and threats were abundant during that time. Then along came a 5’10”, 180 lb. 36-year-old who literally propelled this team back to the forefront of Buffalonians’ minds.
After the hangover of Jim Kelly’s retirement and aging/departing superstars, the Bills had a pretty good group of players, but Flutie was marketing gold. He literally looked like your neighbor. He may as well have been your college buddy. Flutie was your average dude, playing football unlike anyone before him and won over the city completely. After the Music City debacle of Johnson starting over Flutie (seriously folks, it wasn’t Johnson’s fault), ownership management the organization decided to go with Johnson for the foreseeable future (whoops). Flutiemania had already been established in WNY and the 50/50 split of Johnson/Flutie is now an overwhelming 100% margin in hindsight. Even as a pro-Johnson guy, I loved watching Flutie who, much like Marv, was impossible to not like. That’s why he makes the list.
2. French Connection – This is a little bit of a cop-out pick, selecting a trio of players instead of just say Perreault, however for people who watched this group, they deserve to go together. Gilbert Perreault was the #1 pick in the 1970 NHL Draft, Rick Martin was the #5 pick in the 1981 draf,t and Rene Robert was acquired in a spring 1972 trade. The group remained together until 1979 and held a huge place in the heart of Sabres hockey fans during the club’s infancy. All three French-Canadians (hence the nickname) made their mark on Buffalo hockey, but it was Perreault who led the charge. He spent his entire career in a Sabres uniform and is the club’s all-time leading scorer. Martin played for the club for ten seasons before injuries finally over took his career (he played four games for the Kings), and it was Robert’s departure in October of 1979 that broke the group up.
Fun facts: During the seven seasons the group was together, they compiled 1681 points (or 240 points per season, 80 per player). During the 1974-75 Stanley Cup season, Robert had 100 points, Martin had 95, and Perreault amassed 96 points. The only other period even close to this was during the Mogilny-Lafontaine pairing of the ’90s which was short-lived. The group was dynamite and laid the foundation for Buffalo to become a hockey town. People talk about Perreault (1,326 points) as if they can’t even quantify or qualify how good he was. Heck, Terry Pegula cried when he bought the team because Perreault was there. This group was probably the greatest run a Sabres group ever had together. My only complaint is that I wasn’t alive to watch them play.
1. Jim Kelly – Ah yes, Jimbo! Unfortunately for anyone who plays any other position in any other sport, there are few things that supplant being a great quarterback on a great team. It almost automatically propels you into legend status. Kelly was the catalyst behind the great Bills Super Bowl teams and his Hall of Fame career won the hearts of a generation of kids who wanted to be #12. When you consider the fact that he lost two seasons of play in the USFL, his NFL numbers are even more impressive. But to me, the thing that made the people of Buffalo love Jim Kelly wasn’t really his numbers, and it certainly wasn’t his refusal to come to the team when they drafted him. It was his rugged toughness that made fans love Kelly.
For myself, I love watching a quarterback stand in the pocket that extra second to make the big throw, even if it means he’s going to take a hit. Kelly did that to the max and although it ultimately cost him games during his career (16 regular season games), he would get up, hustle to the line, and continue with the no-huddle offense. Kelly was the unquestioned leader of that offense, even if he wasn’t the best player. He was the one that threw legendary parties at his house for the whole team and their families after games. Kelly was the face of those teams and people related to him. Even in the face of adversity, Kelly has always had the support of Buffalo, and he probably always will.
Even after his career ended in the 1996 season, Kelly continued to be an ambassador for football in Buffalo, and a lot of fans have faith in him when he says he won’t let the Bills leave here. I will say, if Kelly delivers on keeping the Bills in Buffalo then it will be tough to ever knock him from this #1 spot.
Honorable Mention: Terry Pegula (too soon), Lindy Ruff (could be swapped with Marv in my opinion), Ryan Miller (close), Dominik Hasek (not sure people liked him enough off the ice), Steve Tasker (pretty likeable dude), Rob Ray (enough said), Bruce and/or Andre. I’m sure there’s gonna be some disagreement here. Let me have it.
Follow me on twitter: @Brianbund
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