One of the Greats - How Bill Walsh changed the game of football

OpinionJournal.com ^ | August 1, 2007 | ALLEN BARRA

[gpapa]

If there were a Mount Rushmore for football coaches, the four heads would be likenesses of George Halas, Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi and Bill Walsh. Mr. Walsh, who died of leukemia Monday at age 75, is the one whose record would need the most justification to future generations of football fans. After all, of the four, Mr. Walsh had the fewest career victories--102, counting postseason games, to go with 63 defeats and one tie. And he won the fewest number of championships, three. (Halas won six in his 40 seasons; Brown had seven in 21 years: four with the old All-America Football Conference and three in the NFL; and Lombardi had five in 10 seasons.) How, then, to explain the greatness of Bill Walsh?

First, Mr. Walsh was a superb college coach. Exactly how good we'll never know, because he chose to coach twice at Stanford, a school far too academically oriented to compete with national football powerhouses. Yet, in five seasons, he established a respectable 34-24-1 record--recruiting, just before he left to go to the San Francisco 49ers, a promising young quarterback named John Elway.

Second, with the 49ers, whom he coached from 1979 to 1988, Mr. Walsh reigned during the most competitive era in NFL history, a time when you had to win three postseason games to get a championship ring. And then there was the astonishing level of success he had in that era. Inheriting one of the worst franchises in the league, he finished just 2-14 in 1979, raised that record to 6-10 the following season, and, by his third year, had the 49ers at 13-3 before coaching them to their first Super Bowl victory.

[dfwgator]

He was so good of a coach that even George Seifert could win Super Bowls with the teams that Walsh built.

[lewislynn]

Those were some fantastic years for watching the 49ers.

[Sonny M]

I didn't think George Seifert was a bad coach, he learned under Walsh, and Walsh had more then enough confidence in him to designate him his successor, and Walsh had an excellend eye for talent.

That said, Bill Walsh will be missed greatly for his many contributions to the game.

[Shadowstrike]

Prayers that he is being rewarded, and prayers for his family that has been left behind.

Football lost a great coach.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

A FREEper posted THIS yesterday. Scroll down to the Bill Walsh Coaching Tree. This says a lot about the man.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

I didn't think George Seifert was a bad coach, he learned under Walsh, and Walsh had more then enough confidence in him to designate him his successor, and Walsh had an excellend eye for talent.

Well, Seifert had his chance to prove himself without a loaded 49ers team in Carolina and couldn't do it. Holmgren should have taken over for Walsh, but he really hadn't been with the team long enough. Holmgren's successor as offensive coordinator with the 49ers, Mike Shanahan, should have taken over as Seifert's successor, but Seifert wasn't ready to go after his second SB win.

[Sonny M]

Well, Seifert had his chance to prove himself without a loaded 49ers team in Carolina and couldn't do it. Holmgren should have taken over for Walsh, but he really hadn't been with the team long enough. Holmgren's successor as offensive coordinator with the 49ers, Mike Shanahan, should have taken over as Seifert's successor, but Seifert wasn't ready to go after his second SB win.

I thought Holmgren was the better choice, as scary as this may sound, the supposed runner up, whom Walsh shot down, was Paul Hackett.

Walsh felt he had groomed and mentored Seifert, that the transition would be perfect, while Seifert was a disaster in Carolina, I honestly think, with time (like Walsh had when he took over a very bad 49ers team) could have turned it around.

I think its a shame he never got another chance after that, but his own insecurity might have done him in.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

I honestly think, with time (like Walsh had when he took over a very bad 49ers team) could have turned it around.

It's certainly possible, and it's true that he didn't have much time to turn it around, but he did in fact have as much time as Walsh did - Walsh's first season was 2-14, 2nd season was 6-10, 3rd season was 13-3 and a SB win. Seifert in Carolina went 8-8, 7-9, 1-15 and fired.

That said, Seifert was a class guy and a great defensive coach. I don't think he was meant to be a head coach - many great coordinators, including his colleague Ray Rhodes, are not HC material. He reportedly over-ruled Holmgren on offensive play calling on occasion, most notably in the '91 NFC Championship Game against the Giants, and his mis-handling of the Charles Haley situation (which Seifert later acknowledged) might have cost the 49ers another two SB rings.