All Sport Report

One of the greatest coaches in the history of the San Francisco 49ers has died. After battling leukemia, the most difficult battle he endured in 75 years, Bill Walsh finally lost his battle on Monday, July 30, 2007. Walsh passed away with his loved ones present by his side at his Woodside home. Leukemia, which apparently runs in the family, took the life of one of his sons, Steve, in 2002. Steve, a reporter for ABC, was only 46 when he died.

Walsh’s career as a coach can only be personified as its Hall of Fame quality. He won three Superbowls and transformed the 49ers into a West Coast football powerhouse, feared and respected by teams across the country. Despite his diligent and articulate coaching style, Walsh was a soft-spoken individual who was a native Californian and quite proud of that fact.

Joe Montana, Walsh and the 49ers’ star quarterback, who earned his own place in the Hall of Fame, was somber when interviewed about the death. To him, Walsh was not only a close friend but a mentor and father figure. Montana told reporters, “For me personally, outside of my dad he was probably the most influential person in my life. I am going to miss him.”

While Walsh did not have the longest career in the history of Football, he certainly made an impression during his tenure as Head Coach. He was 47 when he became the coach of the 49ers. At that time, the team was a mediocre team with a fair record when it came to winning. With Walsh came change and during his ten year career, which spanned through the 1980s, he transformed the 49ers into the best team in the NFL, changing forever the way the team played the game both offensively and defensively. The methods and training practices established by Walsh during his time coaching have transferred hands as many of the assistant coaches he worked with went on to become Head Coaches elsewhere, making the “Walsh phenomenon” spread through and remain where it does in the NFL today.

In just ten years, Walsh went 102-63-1. Under his tutelage, the 49ers won three Superbowls, six Division Titles, and 10 of 14 games in the postseason. This led Walsh to be named 1981 and 1984’s NFL Coach of the Year. It was also what led him to be elected into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1993, shortly after his career had ended.

Walsh was a brilliant tactician who created amazing strategies never before thought of or used to win his games. This was a major reason why he was given the nickname “The Genius”, which stuck with him even after leaving the NFL. To list all of his accomplishments and those who worked under him who passed on his legacy for playing and winning would take up more than a few pages. However, it is safe to admit that anyone, a 49ers’ fan or not, can respect the brilliance that Walsh possessed as he made a losing team into a winning team and altered the way NFL coaching was done for future coaches to follow in a quest to have half the gusto or winning edge he did.

Walsh was born in 1931 in Los Angeles. He lived there until he was a teenager, when his family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. It was here he met and married his High School sweetheart, Geri Nardini. They were married in 1954 and remained married until his death. He is survived by his wife and two of their children, Craig and Elizabeth. Walsh started out coaching football and swimming at a local area high school, Washington High School. From there, he went on to coach at UC Berkeley (with longtime friend Marv Levy) and Stanford. He was an assistant coach with the Oakland Raiders, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the San Diego Chargers before being given his chance as Head Coach of the 49ers in an effort to help rebuild their failing football program.

Walsh did all that and more. His legacy will never be forgotten, and the next time you watch a play during an NFL game, stop a moment and think about the fact that you just might be watching a piece of the history and game strategy Bill Walsh left behind.

Bill Walsh, Football, 49ers, Hall of Fame, Leukemia, Death