Posted on 07/30/2007 12:02:01 PM PDT by Doomonyou
(07-30) 11:50 PDT -- Bill Walsh, the imaginative and charismatic coach who took over a downtrodden 49ers team and built one of the greatest franchises in NFL history, has died at the age of 75.
A master of using short, precisely timed passes to control the ball in what became known as the West Coast offense, he guided the team to three Super Bowl championships and six NFC West division titles in his 10 years as head coach.
The 49ers had been wrecked by mismanagement and unwise personnel decisions under former general manager Joe Thomas when owner Ed DeBartolo Jr. cleaned house in 1979. Walsh, who had led Stanford to two bowl victories in two seasons as head coach, took a 49ers team that had finished 2-14 in 1978 and built a Super Bowl champion in just three years. It was one of the most remarkable turnarounds in professional sports history.
His teams would win two more Super Bowls (following the 1984 and 1988 seasons) before he turned the team over to George Seifert, who directed the 49ers to two more championships ('89 and '94). Walsh set the foundation for an unprecedented streak in the NFL of 16 consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Walsh was truly one of the greats. Take it to the house coach!
My Bengals made the mistake of not making Bill Walsh coach, and he beat us twice in the Super Bowl.
I loved the guy - except for those two days. He changed the NFL dramatically.
Rest in Peace, Bill.
And thank you.
Wow! That sucks. He was a great guy and a great coach. He will always be remembered.
Oh wow..
I loved that guy and his team. Class act all the way. RIP and prayers for his family.
He was a class act and one of the best ever.
A really great coach. May God be with him and his family and friends.
Bill Walsh is a legend - for all the right reasons.
Rest in Peace, Coach Walsh.
RIP. Walsh was already a legend 20 years ago.
No doubt Bill’s already planning strategy for the big showdown between the Good Guys and Satan’s minions.
A true gentleman and one helluva coach.
Truly a great coach who will be missed. He changed football, for sure
Condolences to his family and friends
Great pic of “The Catch”. Have never seen that angle.
RIP Coach
Brilliant, classy...RIP coach.
San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh is hoisted on the shoulders of his team after they defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX in this Jan. 20, 1985 file photo, at Stanford, Stadium, in Palo Alto, Calif. Stanford University has said that Walsh, a Hall of Fame football coach who guided the 49ers to three Super Bowl titles, has died after a long battle with leukemia. (AP Photo/File)
Oh, no! I hate to hear that Coach Walsh has died. He provided a lot of good, enjoyable, and exciting football viewing memories for us. We loved him at our house.
God bless and comfort his wife and their family.
Walsh was an offensive genius. He was so far ahead of the other coaches of his era. It truly gave the 49ers an unfair advantage over other teams. And possibly the “leg-whip”.
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