Montreal, April 13, 2021 – The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) announced its class of 2021 on Tuesday, and former Montreal Alouettes Head Coach Marv Levy has been inducted in the Builder category. Receiver Nik Lewis, who spent the last three seasons of his illustrious career in Montreal, also received the nod.
Levy, 95, becomes only the third person to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, after Bud Grant and Warren Moon.
“It certainly is meaningful to be inducted in both Halls. I know both of these people fairly well. We competed against Warren Moon and of course against Bud Grant in his coaching days in the NFL and in the CFL as well. I am tremendously honoured and just grateful for the recognition that is coming,” declared Levy.
The latter received his first head coaching opportunity in the professional ranks in Montreal in 1973. He made the most of that opportunity, maintaining a 41-31-4 record in his five seasons at the helm of the team, leading the Alouettes to three Grey Cup games, winning two of them in 1974 and 1977.
On top of his winning record, Levy left a lasting impression on his players who have been campaigning for his induction for a good number of years already.
“I coached for 47 years. Only five of them were with the Montreal Alouettes, but they remain so prominent in my found memories and I will always remember them. We did have a lot of success during that period, and we had a fantastic fan base in Montreal. At the Ice Bowl game, we had 68,000 fans in the stands in Montreal,” recalled Levy.
Also, Levy’s time in the CFL forever changed the landscape of the league, as he was the instigator behind the rule change which allowed teams to block on punt returns, making one of the most boring plays of the game into one of the most spectacular. He also introduced the no-huddle offence into the CFL.
“The Alouettes are extremely happy with this turn of events. I want to congratulate Marv. He completely deserves this honour. His former players are unanimous and had been saying for years now that Marv deserved to be inducted into the CFHOF,” said Alouettes President Mario Cecchini. “I want to thank all those that have been campaigning for Marv these past weeks: our alumni, the Buffalo Bills and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Everybody we reached out to were ready to do anything for him, which proves even more that he belongs with the greats.”
Following his remarkable stint in Montreal, Levy continued his coaching career in the NFL where he notably led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls. During his 12 years in Buffalo, where the team was supported by many Canadians because of its proximity with Canada and Marv’s presence at the helm of the team, the Chicago, IL native won 117 games against only 70 losses, leading the team to six division championships.
Nik Lewis retired as the CFL’s all-time leading receiver with 1,051 receptions, a record he set on August 24, 2017 at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.
Lewis played 14 seasons in the CFL with Calgary and Montreal after breaking into the League in June 2004. He won the Grey Cup twice (2008 and 2014) with Calgary, while being named a CFL West Division All-Star five times (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and a CFL East Division All Star once (2016), on top of being elected a CFL All-Star three times (2010, 2011 and 2012).
“That 1,000-yard season in Montreal probably means the most to me out of any other. Because the adversity we had. I truly feel my Montreal experience showed me so much. I was voted captain for the first time in my career,” said Lewis.
The Jacksboro, TX native completed his career with 13,778 receiving yards, which puts him fifth all time in the CFL, and 71 touchdowns. The former Southern Arkansas University Mulerider amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in ten of his 14 seasons, which is a remarkable feat. Lewis had joined the Alouettes in February 2015 as an unrestricted free agent.
