After five seasons coaching the Kansas City Chiefs, Levy helped the Bills become one of the most dominant American Football Conference (AFC) teams during the 1990s.

His greatest success occurred between 1990 and 1993 when he led Buffalo to a record four consecutive Super Bowls, although each game ended in defeat.

[1][2] In 1943, the day after graduation from South Shore High School in Chicago,[3] Levy enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces.

He served as a meteorologist at Apalachicola Army Airfield in Franklin County, Florida, but the war ended before his unit deployed to the Pacific.

[11] At Coe College, Levy earned varsity letters in football, track, and basketball.

He obtained a degree in English literature, was granted membership in Phi Beta Kappa society,[12] and was twice voted student council president.

He was admitted to Harvard University for graduate studies in 1951, where he earned a Masters of Arts in English history.

Levy then served as the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League for five seasons.

Initially hired as a television analyst, Levy replaced Hank Bullough seven games into the regular season as head coach.

[21] With his high-powered "no-huddle" offense, Levy's Bills went on to make four consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 1990 to 1993, the most in league history.

[20] Each game ended in defeat, however, tying Levy with Bud Grant and Dan Reeves for the most Super Bowl appearances without a victory.

The question became a standard part of Levy's pregame routine, and was adopted as a battle cry by the Bills during their resurgence under Sean McDermott.

[32] He returned to live in his native Chicago, although he also spent some time in Montreal mentoring then-Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman.

[35] In August 2011, Levy published a second book, Between the Lies, featuring a team based loosely on the Bills and including a quarterback named "Kelly James" progressing to the Super Bowl against a Los Angeles-based team and its take-no-prisoners head coach, while a scandal erupts, placing the integrity of the game at risk.

[42][43] On January 19, 2025, he delivered a pre-recorded message of well-wishes to the Bills squad ahead of its playoff game with the Baltimore Ravens.

[44] Levy and his wife Mary have a daughter, Kim, and two grandchildren Angela (oldest) and George (youngest).

Following the death of Art McNally on January 1, 2023, Levy became the oldest living Pro Football Hall of Fame member.