Former 49er head coach Bill Walsh dies

S. F. Chronicle ^ | Monday, July 30, 2007 | Tom FitzGerald, Chronicle Staff Writer

[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.

[johnnyd]

“Pretty sure he had been diagnosed with leukemia in late 2006. His family history is tragic - son also dead of leukemia and a wife disabled by Parkinson’s I believe.”

He actually was diagnosed in 2004. Didn’t announce it until late last year.

RIP Coach Walsh.

[ohioman]

As a long-suffering Falcons fan, I hated playing against Walsh’s SF teams, but I also recognized what a great coach he was. I wish we had him in Atlanta.

RIP Coach.

[libs_kma]

"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."

Hey Badeye! You wrote my post!

But c'mon...sure the Bengals passed over Bill Walsh, but we did hire great coaches like Homer Rice, Tiger Bill Johnson, and David Shula. /s

[Cyropaedia]

Actually, after they discovered the extent of Cook's injury, they traded for a veteran QB named Virgil Carter. Of course, Carter barely had a fraction of the natural talent that Cook possessed. Walsh realized that he to completely revamp his offense and tailor it to Carter's abilities. Carter was a savy player that got by more with his wits that athletic ability. Walsh installed a lot of short, high percentage throws, screen passes to the backs, etc. By his second season, Carter wound up leading the league in passing percentage, and finished the year as the highest rated passer in the AFC. And thus, an offense was born. The "West Coast" offense actually began with the Carter and the Bengals.

That's one other thing that most people don't know : Walsh had always hated the term, "West Coast offense", because that's not where it originated.

[Cyropaedia]

Ronnie Lott says that everyone remembers “the Catch” but hardly anyone remembers Eric Wright’s one handed tackle of Drew Pearson on the Cowboys’ final drive. In Lott’s mind, that was the greatest, most important play in 49er history. Pearson would have scored and the Dallas would have won the NFC Championship.

[Paco]

Oh my, now that’s a painful memory for this cowboy fan, but what a great coach he was...he will be missed.

[Alberta's Child]

I consider it an honor that my New York Giants were the one team the 49ers seemed to have trouble with regularly in the post-season during that era.

Walsh was one of the defining figures of the NFL during the 1980s, and he'll be missed by all who knew him.

[sean327]

I am probably the biggest Cowboys fan and 49’ers hater there is, but I have always thought Coach Walsh was a genius and a class act. He is one of the all time greatest coaches in my eyes. His offensive philosophy has had a huge impact on the NFL and College Football.

[Alberta's Child]

Speaking of Eric Wright . . .

Amidst all the hoopla about the "West Coast Offense," one thing that has gone overlooked about the 49ers of that era has been their very underrated defensive units.

After one season (I think it was 1984), the 49ers made NFL history by sending all four of their starting defensive backs to the Pro Bowl (cornerbacks Eric Wright and Ronnie Lott, and safeties Dwight Hicks and Carlton Williamson).

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Walsh had always hated the term, "West Coast offense", because that's not where it originated.

Well, also there was an original "West Coast Offense" that wasn't directly related to Walsh's offense - the "West Coast Offense" run by Sid Gillman, and later practiced by Don Coryell, Joe Gibbs, Ernie Zampese, and Mike Martz. Walsh's offense wasn't the same thing - it apparently took on the name because Walsh had success with it in SF, but it should be called what it is - the Bill Walsh Offense.

[dfwgator]

And who could forget that goal-line stand against the Bengals in SB XVI.

[Alberta's Child]

I had the privilege of sitting in the stands at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands to witness what would eventually turn out to be the worst loss in Walsh's coaching career -- a 49-3 Giants victory in the 1986 playoffs en route to their first Super Bowl victory.

On one of the 49ers' first drives of the game, Montana hooked up with Jerry Rice on a long completion that should have been a sure touchdown. Rice -- running at full speed inside the Giants' 10-yard line with nobody close to him, inexplicably fumbled the ball into the end zone, where it was recovered by the Giants.

After the game, a reporter asked Walsh if he thought that play really set the tone for the game, and if the outcome might have been different had Rice not fumbled the ball.

"Well, yes," Walsh said, "The final score would have been 49-10."

[Right Cal Gal]

I never thought of one without thinking of the other.

[muleskinner]

Thanks Bill, for everything.

[Doomonyou]

I consider it an honor that my New York Giants were the one team the 49ers seemed to have trouble with regularly in the post-season during that era.

Thanks for reminding me of that 49-3 stomping in the cold! Rice dropped a sure TD, Jim Burt putting Montana in a coma. Unnngh! Bad day to be a niner fan!

[Doomonyou]

LOL.

I hadn't read your post 73 before I wrote 76. Great memory for you, Nightmare for me!

[scott says]

NFL PING

FReepmail scott says to be added to, or to be taken off the NFL Ping list...

This is a fairly high volume ping list

[wagglebee]

RIP

He was one of greatest coaches of all time.

Prayers for him and his family.

[Cyropaedia]

That '84 team had a great defense. They crushed Dan Marino and the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. I have always thought an injustice was done in naming Montana that game's MVP. They SHOULD have selected someone from the defense. The game was really just a contest between the Niners defense and Miami's offense. I'll never forget Wright's sensational interception at the goal line.

Personally I would have picked Gary "Big Hands" Johnson and Fred Dean as Co-MVP's. They continually pressured Marino and simply shut down Miami's rushing attack. But the game had been hyped as the "Battle of the Quarterbacks" so number 16 walked off with the award.

You're right. Walsh never gets the credit he deserved for building and orchestrating one of the all time great defensive teams. IIRC, he snagged Fred Dean from the Chargers for a measly fourth round draft pick. Ridiculous.