Meet the Hall of Fame Class of 2001
— -- On Saturday, Aug. 4, the 2001 class will be inducted into the Pro FootballHall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The seven-member class will bring the totalnumber of pro football heroes enshrined in the Hall of Fame to 211.
Nick BuonicontiLinebacker. Boston Patriots 1962-'68, Miami Dolphins 1969-'74, '76.The facts: Played in five AFL All-Star games with the Patriots and one withMiami after his 1969 trade. ... Was Dolphins' MVP in '69. ... FollowingAFL-NFL merger, was named to two more Pro Bowls, in '73 and '74. ... Duringseven seasons with Miami, the Dolphins made three consecutive Super Bowlappearances (VI, VII, VIII). Miami won two of those, including after itsundefeated season in '72. ... Recorded 32 career interceptions. ... Will bepresented by his son, Marc Buoniconti.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Buoniconti was a guy who the NFL thought was too small.But Mike Holovak, who was putting together the Boston Patriots at the time,had an uncanny knack for finding undersized, wrong-sized players for the NFLwho would turn into tremendous players for him. Later on in (Buoniconti's)career, he was traded to the Dolphins and was the catalyst of the 'No-NameDefense.' Buoniconti never really was big enough. He did not haveexceptional speed, but he had exceptional quickness, exceptional reactionspeed, exceptional instincts and, unlike most linebackers his size, he wasable to see things. Somehow, he would see through the forest, whereas mostlinebackers his size had areas where they just couldn't see. Plus, he was atremendous on-the-field leader."
Marv LevyCoach. Kansas City Chiefs 1978-'82, Buffalo Bills 1986-'97.The facts: Overall record was 154-120-0. ... Ranked 10th in NFL history atthe time of his retirement. ... Left Chiefs following the 1982strike-shortened season. ... Set a new standard for NFL head coaches when heled the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls. ... Guided Buffalo toplayoffs in eight of 12 seasons. ... NFL Coach of the Year in '88. ... Willbe presented by former Bills and current Colts GM Bill Polian.Joel Buchsbaum says: "Levy was the ultimate professional coach. He was anextremely bright man, yet he had an uncanny knack to interact and getthrough to all of his players. He also was one of the most adaptable coachesin the league. When he came in, he used a wing-T offense in Kansas Citybecause he didn't have receivers, he had runners, and he didn't have anoffensive line that could pass block. Yet, when he went to Buffalo, he wentto one of the most wide-open offenses in the game because it fit Jim Kellythe best. (Levy) had a great ability to fit the scheme to what his playersdid best, instead of the other way around. He also was very fundamentallyand technically sound and was one of the first coaches in the league torealize the value special teams had, and that special teams were really onethird of the game. When he was with the Bills, their special teams werealways one of the best in the league."
