R.I.P. Bill Walsh

Sabo
Probationary Member

Posts: 10

R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 13:13:54 GMT -6

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Post by Sabo on Jul 30, 2007 13:13:54 GMT -6

sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2954719&name=FPT-2954719-073015&srvc=sz

Bill Walsh, who guided the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships and six NFC West division titles in his 10 years as head coach, has died at the age of 75.

Walsh died early Monday following a long battle with leukemia, according to Stanford University, where he served as coach and athletic director.

Walsh was 102-63, with one tie, during his career in the NFL. He also coached at Stanford, winning a pair of bowl games with the Cardinal before leaving for the 49ers.

He was later a broadcaster with NBC Sports.

He is survived by his wife, Geri, and two children, Craig and Elizabeth.

Last Edit: Jul 30, 2007 13:24:09 GMT -6 by Sabo

brophy Executive Member Posts: 6,155	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 13:25:18 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by brophy on Jul 30, 2007 13:25:18 GMT -6 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I knew his health was deteriorating a few years ago.... He will be missed. He carried on the legacy of Paul Brown, that transformed the ideology of effective coaching.
	Last Edit: Jul 30, 2007 13:26:24 GMT -6 by brophy brophyfootball.blogspot.com/

airraider Executive Member Posts: 4,983	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 13:42:40 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by airraider on Jul 30, 2007 13:42:40 GMT -6 Man that gives me a sick feeling..
	You gotta work harder than you planned on working if you wanna be better than you planned on being! www.simplyoffensive.blogspot.com

mrigg Junior Member Posts: 457	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 13:47:05 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by mrigg on Jul 30, 2007 13:47:05 GMT -6 Football genius, he will be missed

crl Junior Member Pick me , pick me... I want to be on the RNC location scout team. Posts: 476	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 14:25:36 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by crl on Jul 30, 2007 14:25:36 GMT -6 May He Rest in Peace.
	Have playbook will travel. footballshoptalk.blogspot.com/ www.scribd.com/people/view/2106967-roldan-leyba

brophy
Executive Member

Posts: 6,155

R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 14:40:21 GMT -6

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Post by brophy on Jul 30, 2007 14:40:21 GMT -6

Bill Walsh planted the coaching tree

(07-30) 12:16 PDT -- There was no such thing as an NFL coaching tree until Bill Walsh planted one.

Across the league, there are almost bottomless roots of greatness that have taken hold and spread considerable branches of success, thanks to Walsh's uncanny intuition for spotting coaching talent, vision and temperament.

Walsh, who has passed away at the age of 75, unearthed them. Quick minds, stout hearts and strong personalities, traits much like his own -- they were men much like him. They would subsequently bloom into multitudes of abundant NFL coaching success.

The forest was planted in 1979, when Walsh was convinced by a brash young NFL owner to move over from Stanford and rebuild his moribund franchise.

So give Eddie DeBartolo due credit for turning some soil.

As Walsh overhauled the 49ers from 2-14 in '79 into a Super Bowl champion in only three seasons, a remarkable succession of young coaches was spawned from the 49ers' burgeoning dynasty.

Mike Holmgren. Mike White. Ray Rhodes. Sam Wyche. Bruce Coslet. George Seifert. Dennis Green. All of them were direct hires of Walsh.

All of them became NFL head coaches.

Most of them planted impressive coaching trees of their own.

Today, 14 of the NFL's 32 head coaches are either direct descendants, or second- and-third generation disciples, of the Walsh NFL coaching empire.

Certainly you can argue that the many branches extending from the legends and lessons of Paul Brown, George Halas, Sid Gillman, Tom Landry and Al Davis exerted considerable influence of their own.

But Walsh -- a sapling borne from the fertile mind of Gillman's deep-ball passing lust -- may have been the grandest seed of them all.

Gillman, the acknowledged Pro Football Hall of Fame father of the modern NFL passing game, then Davis, the genius behind the vertical passing attack, handed off a young Walsh to Brown in Cincinnati in 1968.

And Brown, another Hall of Famer who is credited with being the chief architect of the modern NFL offense, recognized the greatness simmering inside the mind of his 36-year-old protégé.

He made the scholarly Walsh the offensive coordinator of his expansion Bengals' franchise.

Walsh then found a willing and powerful arm in the likes of a young quarterback named Greg Cook, the AFL's rookie of the year in 1969. Cook passed for 1,854 yards that season, despite feeling a suspicious pop in his throwing shoulder.

No one realized that Cook's right shoulder and elbow had been irreparably damaged midway through his rookie season. Cook's promising football career would end in 1973.

And Walsh had to retool.

Pure arm strength from an exceptional quarterback couldn't do it all, the coach surmised.

So the cunning coordinator devised an elaborate offensive choreography. His scheme was built on timing, precision, multiple sets, motion and quick drops by a powerful, smart quarterback -- the maestro whose footwork and vision conducted the entire symphony.

Eventually, the football would get downfield in a hurry, either through the air or in the hands of a running back set free by the frenzy of four or five receivers and tight ends swarming in routes.

How did Brown, so revered for his contributions to offensive football, view his innovative coordinator?

As a threat, Walsh would later say.

Walsh was convinced Brown was impeding his dream of becoming an NFL head coach, especially when Brown retired in 1975 and passed over his offensive coordinator to name offensive line coach Bill "Tiger" Johnson as his successor.

Stung by the move, Walsh resigned and spent two seasons coaching at Stanford before DeBartolo offered him his first crack at running an NFL show.

That is exactly what Walsh did.

His coaching style called for singular authority. The head coach, he believed, was the preeminent power broker. And the ultimate fall guy, if things went sour.

Walsh believed strongly in teamwork and commitment. As a teacher, he was as firm as he was genial. His sense of humor -- often bawdy -- always remained at the ready.

Above all else, Walsh valued honesty.

"Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise," he once said, "and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment."

Walsh's many coaching charges would reap fruit from their head coach, scripting championship teams and molding Pro Bowl players. They, in turn, spread the bounty far and wide.

Many of them, coincidentally, had roots in the West, which led to the signature Walsh scheme being dubbed the "West Coast offense."

Walsh's spreading tree, his incomparable lineage and legacy of coaches, is shaken somewhat today at his passing. But the branches are as strong as ever.

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Last Edit: Jul 30, 2007 14:40:43 GMT -6 by brophy

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rhair Freshmen Member Posts: 36	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 14:41:20 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by rhair on Jul 30, 2007 14:41:20 GMT -6 Like him or hate him, Bill Walsh changed the way the modern game of football was played. This is a sad day for the football world. He will be missed!

lochness Executive Member He lives vicariously... through himself. Posts: 5,794	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 16:39:10 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by lochness on Jul 30, 2007 16:39:10 GMT -6 What a shame. Our prayers go out to him and his family.
	He bowls overhand. Cuba imports cigars from him. He makes downhill 2-back run schemes exciting. He is THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD.

thekid Freshmen Member Posts: 58	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 17:15:01 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by thekid on Jul 30, 2007 17:15:01 GMT -6 Coach Walsh - you will be missed Rest In Peace

coachcathey Sophomore Member Posts: 243	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 17:18:30 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by coachcathey on Jul 30, 2007 17:18:30 GMT -6 Man it's a sad day in coaching.

spreadattack
Contributor

Posts: 4,838

R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 17:31:31 GMT -6

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Post by spreadattack on Jul 30, 2007 17:31:31 GMT -6

In my view, at least in certain circles, Walsh's longest legacy will not be with those he directly coached or coached with, but those he influenced with his ideas - most notably in Finding the Winning Edge. It's enough in a coaching career to have written the best book ever on football. It's amazing that he did it at the end of his illustrious career.

If you want to celebrate the man, be like Belichick and read his book.

My website: Smart Football
smartfootball.com

My new book, The Art of Smart Football, is now out:
amzn.to/1fK94FM

khalfie Senior Member Posts: 1,467	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 18:53:27 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by khalfie on Jul 30, 2007 18:53:27 GMT -6 Yeah... This hurts the stomach... I think I'm going to go the route of Joe Pa and Bobby B. and never retire. Walsh will be missed... Just watched him on America's Game... he was an outstanding man!

wildcat Guest	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 21:36:47 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by wildcat on Jul 30, 2007 21:36:47 GMT -6 Makes me feel REALLY old! RIP.

skiplee4
Freshmen Member

Posts: 37

R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 30, 2007 23:59:15 GMT -6

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Post by skiplee4 on Jul 30, 2007 23:59:15 GMT -6

It is sad and yes he will be missed but he leaves us with a great legacy with the books and film plus probably one of the things that will be around is his coaches that are still implementing his style of football. Hope the man knows he touched many and is now resting in peace.

coachcoyote Full Member WHAT you see, is WHAT you get! Posts: 558	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 31, 2007 0:38:18 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by coachcoyote on Jul 31, 2007 0:38:18 GMT -6 An innovator and class man. We wish his family the best.
	SEMPER FI

kdcoach Sophomore Member Posts: 194	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 31, 2007 4:42:07 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by kdcoach on Jul 31, 2007 4:42:07 GMT -6 Feel like I've been punched in the gut. R.I.P. Coach.....

burtledog
Junior Member

Posts: 412

R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 31, 2007 6:13:20 GMT -6

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Post by burtledog on Jul 31, 2007 6:13:20 GMT -6

I still vividly remember the Dwight Clark catch and the Bengals-49ers Super Bowl. I wonder if people ever figured out that those teams were virtual carbon copies of each other offensively. Both running the Brown/Walsh/Gilman offense. Both QB's (Kenny Anderson and Joe Montana) were his products. Sprint Right Option anyone?
Greg

voodoocat Probationary Member Posts: 11	R.I.P. Bill Walsh Jul 31, 2007 17:41:57 GMT -6 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by voodoocat on Jul 31, 2007 17:41:57 GMT -6 I got into football watching Bill Walsh's 49ers. You might say "So what?" Well, being from Scotland, he really got my attention how the game was played. And I've stuck at it ever since.

Post by Sabo on Jul 30, 2007 13:13:54 GMT -6

Post by brophy on Jul 30, 2007 13:25:18 GMT -6

Post by airraider on Jul 30, 2007 13:42:40 GMT -6

Post by mrigg on Jul 30, 2007 13:47:05 GMT -6

Post by crl on Jul 30, 2007 14:25:36 GMT -6

Post by brophy on Jul 30, 2007 14:40:21 GMT -6

Post by rhair on Jul 30, 2007 14:41:20 GMT -6

Post by lochness on Jul 30, 2007 16:39:10 GMT -6

Post by thekid on Jul 30, 2007 17:15:01 GMT -6

Post by coachcathey on Jul 30, 2007 17:18:30 GMT -6

Post by spreadattack on Jul 30, 2007 17:31:31 GMT -6

Post by khalfie on Jul 30, 2007 18:53:27 GMT -6

Post by wildcat on Jul 30, 2007 21:36:47 GMT -6

Post by skiplee4 on Jul 30, 2007 23:59:15 GMT -6

Post by coachcoyote on Jul 31, 2007 0:38:18 GMT -6

Post by kdcoach on Jul 31, 2007 4:42:07 GMT -6

Post by burtledog on Jul 31, 2007 6:13:20 GMT -6

Post by voodoocat on Jul 31, 2007 17:41:57 GMT -6