Tony Levine spent the 2017 season as an assistant for the Purdue Boilermakers, but he resigned following the campaign in order to pursue other interests outside of coaching.
It turns out his calling was chicken.
According to Bruce Feldman of Sports Illustrated, Levine is the owner/operator of a soon-to-open Chick-fil-A franchise. The restaurant is located in Missouri City, a suburb of Houston, and will open in six weeks.
Levine was at the University of Houston from 2008-2014, including three years as a head coach. He posted a 21-17 record and oversaw the program’s transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference.
After being fired, Levine did not coach in 2015. According to Feldman, that’s the year Levine’s wife — who was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2017 — said she noticed a change in him because he was regularly with their four children.
When Levine announced his resignation in January, he cited their children and a desire to raise them in Houston as reasons for the decision. Per the report, Levine’s new profession will also provide the flexibility he sought to be around his family.
Although he’s moving into the restaurant business, he’ll still be on a sideline next season — as a coach for his sons’ flag football teams.