August 2, 2007

Legendary coach Bill Walsh dies

Bill Walsh, the legendary football coach who led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl wins in the 1980s, died at his home in Woodside on Monday, July 30, after a lengthy battle with leukemia. Walsh was 75 years old.

Bill Walsh 1931-2007

Walsh was a household name not only in the Bay Area, where he coached the Stanford University football team to two bowl victories in 1977 and 1978, but nationally as well. Walsh is commonly regarded in the NFL as the founding father of the West Coast Offense, an offensive scheme used by several NFL teams to date. Walsh’s local ties date back to the 1950s when, as a San Jose State University alumnus, he embarked on a football coaching career that began at Fremont’s Washington Union High School, before spending time as an assistant coach at Cal and Stanford in the early 1960s. Walsh spent the next several years serving as an assistant coach for the Oakland Raiders, the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers before landing his first college head coaching job at Stanford in 1977, where he spent two seasons. From there, Walsh took over the head coaching job with the 49ers in 1979, inheriting a team that went 2-14 in 1978, only to turn the 49ers into Super Bowl Champions within three years.

After 10 years as head coach of the 49ers, Walsh walked away from coaching, if only for a few short years. In 1992, Walsh returned to the college ranks to once again serve as the head coach for the Stanford football team, a position he held for three seasons before retiring from coaching for good. Walsh also served as Stanford’s interim Athletic director for several months in 2004.

His innovative offensive teachings aside, Walsh was also known for his knack of spotting talent. To that end, Walsh is credited for drafting the likes of quarterback Joe Montana, wide receiver Jerry Rice, safety Ronnie Lott, as well as acquiring quarterback Steve Young in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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