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Coach Bill Walsh dies at 75

Monday morning, Hall of Fame coach and former 49ers head coach Bill Walsh lost his battle with leukemia. He was 75.

Walsh is survived by his wife Geri, of Woodside, son Craig, of Redwood City, daughter Elizabeth, of San Francisco, sister Maureen of Mission Viejo, CA and two grandchildren, Samantha and Nathan.

Nicknamed “The Genius” for his play schemes and brilliant strategies to counter the opponent, his West Coast offense brought success to the 49ers organization that was struggling in 1979. What he brought to the organization was a new hope, and the new hope started with finding players that weren’t high on top of depth charts, but had the talent to work within the system. He didn’t pick the flashiest players, but he found the right ones and molded them into champions.

“Bill was blessed with one of the greatest gifts you can have which is the ability to see the future potential of another human being. It just so happened that football was his expertise,” Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young said. “He saw in me much more than I ever saw in myself well before I ever had a chance to understand it. That is the ultimate compliment to the word coach. There’s nothing more a coach should be than to see the full potential of a player unfolded. I am eternally grateful to Bill Walsh.”

In 1987 where he implimented the minority program to help minorities with an opportunity to excel in football. His inspiration to student-athletes have also paved a way for hopefuls. Washington University’s head coach Tyrone Willingham and Cincinnati Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis were once part of the program.

But his biggest claim to fame was his head coaching stint with the 49ers. After coming from Cincinnati as an assistant, he took over a 49ers team that was going in a downward spiral. But in the 1979 draft, Walsh saw a potential in a skinny quarterback from Notre Dame. That quarterback was Hall of Famer Joe Montana. Along with Montana, he saw a young wide receiver from Clemson that he felt could work well with the system. That player was Dwight Clark. These two picks would make history on a play simply known as “The Catch”.

In 1981’s draft, he saw that the Niners needed help on defense, so with his first four picks, selected four defensive backs. These backs would all make the Pro Bowl in their career, including Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott. And later in the same season, he brought the Niners to their first of three Super Bowl titles under his tenure.

And of course, he also saw talent from this wide receiver from this little school called Mississippi Valley State. Yeah, Jerry Rice.

Not only was Walsh a confident man in his schemes, but he knew what could work and what didn’t work. Not often during his tenure as coach did he struggle to find a solution to a problem. He knew what play worked and what didn’t; who can execute them and who couldn’t. He wanted success, and it worked out so perfectly for the Niners.

“When I came here (in 1979), I just wanted to build a team that would win more than it would lose,” Walsh told the late Boston Globe columnist Will McDonough. “I never envisioned the 49ers of the past three decades would become one of the greatest franchises in the history of sports. I’m proud that I played a part in it. I walk away knowing I orchestrated it, but also having a special feeling for everyone who worked and played here. We bonded together. It was like Camelot.”

Aside from the three storied Super Bowl victories, what is most impressive are the people that have worked under Walsh and have found success afterwards. After Walsh’s departure from the Niners following the 1988 season, George Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Dennis Green, Sam Wyche, Ray Rhodes and Bruce Coslet all found success as head coaches. There is a generation of head coaches today that still play from the Walsh influence: Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Brian Billick, Andy Reid, Pete Carroll, Gary Kubiak, Steve Mariucci and Jeff Fisher. Current Colts head coach Tony Dungy was even a player under Walsh.

The influence of Walsh ranks with the likes of Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, and George Halas. He changed football and allowed players to become great through a system that gave them a chance. Walsh was a visionary. He saw something and found the right pieces to make it work. He was aggressive, putting claim to his boxing experience as his philosophy on defense, “beating people to the punch”.

He was more than a coach, however. To many fans, he was a man that cared about the team, the city, and the people around him. He treated his players with kindness. He allowed his players to be who they were, but made sure that they cared just as much about themselves as for each other. He enjoyed the whole ride as the players and fans rode with him to Camelot.

Not only 49ers fans, but football fans all over the world will miss a great man who gave us a new vision of what it means to be a football team. It’s not stacking the best players together. It isn’t filled with huge free agency money. It’s just about knowing the right people for the right job. Coach Walsh saw that and made everyone around him a winner.

Bill Walsh made an impact like no other in the Bay Area. One of the most loving men in all of sports, and one of the brightest smiles you’d ever see on the field has left us not with just memories, but an approach to all things. He enjoyed what he did and he wanted everyone who knew him to do the same.

Thank you Coach Walsh. Growing up watching you has been a blessing. What you did with the 49ers propelled me to love sports and gave us all the belief that greatness can be achieved. You truly were our coach.

Funeral services are pending and will be announced when finalized. The family asks that contributions in Walsh’s honor be made to the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation, 210 East Hacienda Avenue Campbell, CA 95008, 408-874-1999

This entry was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007 at 8:33 pm and is filed under 49ers, Bill Walsh, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.