Product Description

The Buffalo Bills are a charter member of the American Football League. They have been playing professional football in New York for almost 50 years, a period filled with untold moments of happiness and heartache, humor and horror.

"Then Levy Said to Kelly..." collects many of the best stories and anecdotes in the history of the Buffalo Bills. From the earliest days of Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion and Wray Carlton to the team's two AFC championship victories later in the 1960s to the four consecutive Super Bowl appearances (all losses) in the 1990s, this book unearths scores of stirring, hilarious, and poignant stories about the best and worst Buffalo Bills personalities and moments over the last half-century.

Go inside the huddle, inside the locker room, and inside the postgame celebrations and get the real history of this standout team! Read about O.J. Simpson's 2,003-yard season; about those Bills who were sidelined due to injury and illness; and about the real personalities of greats like Jack Kemp, Chuck Knox, Marv Levy, Don Beebe, Jim Kelly, and many others. Many of these stories have never been published before, and because they are culled from the author's first-person interviews, they are all presented here in an unvarnished, straight-from-the-horse's-mouth fashion that will appeal both to hardcore fans and new fans alike.

The Buffalo Bills are a relatively young team, but the franchise's history is as rich and storied as that of much older teams. "Then Levy Said to Kelly..." does a remarkable job of collecting the best stories that have emerged from this always fascinating franchise.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #322882 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From the Publisher
I was listening to the radio a couple years ago, to a Buffalo station, and a trivia question popped up. The guy said, `Who scored the Bills' first touchdown?' Everybody was saying, `I don't know, I don't know.' And I'm thinking, `I don't know who it was.' Then some guy called in and said `Wray Carlton.' I said, `Whoa! That's amazing! I didn't even know that.' I never really thought about it. It never occurred to me that I was the one that scored the first touchdown."
--Wray Carlton discussing the Bills' first touchdown

"Coming from Michigan, we set goals in terms of running the football, and we put the expectations high. So right after the season, I got thinking. [O.J.] gained what he gained with little or no blocking. If we get some blocking, there's no telling what he can do. Any time he touched the football, he could go the distance. And seeing the kind of speed that this guy had and the size he was, with any kind of blocking we could gain 2,000 yards!"
--Reggie McKenzie reflecting on O.J. Simpson's 2,003-yard season

"Oh, it was euphoria. You watch a guy score a touchdown, and you'll see a couple guys come up and high-five him or pat him on the butt or whatever. You watch that game, and the first guy that was there was Andre. He came in and tackled me! He hit me, and I actually hurt my shoulder, he was so excited. Then everybody on that team was down there congratulating me. I couldn't believe it."
--Don Beebe remembering scoring his first touchdown on his first catch in his first NFL game

About the Author
Jim Gehman has covered sports through both print media and television since he was a teenager in the late 1970s. Concentrating on writing NFL alumni articles since 1998, he freelanced with American Sports Media, where his work appeared regularly in the company's Shout! (Buffalo Bills), Silver & Black Illustrated (Oakland Raiders), and Warpath! (Washington Redskins) publications. He also writes "Where are They Now?" and "Flashback" features for the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and Philadelphia Eagles websites, as well as for NFL.com. He is also a columnist for Philadelphia's Eagles Insider and New England's Patriots Football Weekly. Jim makes his home in Wyoming, New York.

Customer Reviews

Don't Be Fooled
As a Bills fan, I was eager to get this book. As Jim Kelly is my favorite player and Marv Levy my favorite coach, I couldn't wait to get into it. While there are some great stories in it, from the 1960's on up, there is not a single story about Jim Kelly, or Marv Levy, much less anything that Marv said to Jim. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. The title and picture is VERY misleading, to say the least. They are hardly mentioned!! Still, if you want stories from the early Bills years, and even some good ones about Reed, BeBee, Lofton, Metz, etc. from the Super Bowl teams, then enjoy it as that. Just don't expect anything about Levy and Kelly. So disappointing.

Great work!
What a fantastic and well researched book! Congratulations to the author, Jim Gehman, who clearly has unprecedented access and respect of the entire Bills organization.

Buffalo Bills Fans Rejoice
Young or old if you are a Buffalo Bills Fan this book will facinate you from the first page. Re-live the glory years of the 60s and the OJ years of the 70s, the hopeful 80s and the four trips to the Super Bowl in the 90s right up until today. Wonderful research and a tickle to your memory of some of the great old Bills players.