General | 4/28/2021 2:30:00 PM

WAVERLY, Iowa - Wartburg College and Wartburg Knights Athletics lost a Wartburg legend on Monday, April 26 as former longtime Wartburg men's basketball head coach and professor emeritus of physical education Lewis "Buzz" Levick passed away at the age of 94.

A visitation will take place on Friday, May 7 from 4-6 p.m. at Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home in Waverly. On Saturday, May 8, a memorial service will be held at Levick Arena at 10:30 a.m. COVID-19 protocol will be followed and everyone attending must wear a mask.The service will be live streamed by Wartburg Knight Vision. View HERE.

Levick was the head men's basketball coach at Wartburg from 1965 to 1993, compiling a 510-226 record, winning 14 Iowa Conference championships (including nine consecutive from 1967-1975), and making 13 postseason tournaments. 

His teams twice reached the NCAA quarterfinals, seven players were named All-Americans, and 58 were All-Conference selections. He was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year nine times, NAIA District 15 Coach of the Year six times, and NAJA Area 4 Coach of the Year three times. 

At the time of his retirement in 1993, he was ranked 28th among the winningest men's collegiate coaches and was one of only 65 coaches in the nation with 500 or more wins. He was inducted into the Des Moines Registers Hall of Fame in 1998, the Wartburg Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999, was recognized as an honorary Wartburg alumnus in 2014, and in 2019 was honored as a Wartburg medal recipient for his inspiring commitment and loyalty to former players and his longtime service to the college. Levick started the Wartburg Hall of Fame in 1996 and shepherded the athletics recognition event for 20 years. 

"Buzz Levick was an amazing person and coach," said Wartburg athletic director and head football coach Rick Willis. "His impact stretches over all of Iowa and beyond, and will continue to for years to come. His loyalty and commitment to Wartburg and our student-athletes was remarkable. Buzz will always be a Wartburg legend and treasure who we will miss greatly."

Since 2002, Wartburg has hosted the annual Buzz Levick Men's Basketball Tournament each November. The 1,800-seat Levick Arena was named in his honor and opened in 2008 as part of the the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center. 

Before coming to Wartburg, he taught and coached at high schools in Rinard, LeGrand, Tama, and Newton. His overall career record is 747-328.

"Coach Levick has paved the way to a historically proud tradition for Wartburg basketball," current Wartburg men's basketball head coach Dick Peth commented. "To me, he has been a great supporter and mentor right up to the end of his amazing life. Aside of him being an extremely successful basketball coach, he was truly a better friend."

Buzz and his wife, Miriam, were married for 74 years. They were members of the President's Round Table, Heritage Society, and Booster Club. They have two daughters, Elaine Fratzke '73 and LuAnn Grubman '77. The Miriam and Buzz Levick Endowed Scholarship supports a first-year student pursuing a teaching career. In 2015, they established an endowed scholarship for business students in memory of their son, Robert '76. A member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Waverly, Buzz was the congregation's last surviving WWII Veteran.

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