Football legend Bill Walsh dies at 75

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Football legend Bill Walsh dies at 75
By Daniel Brown and Dennis Georgatos
Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
07/30/2007

Bill Walsh, the brilliant coach who launched the 49ers dynasty and forever transformed the football landscape, died at his Woodside home Monday morning after a battle with leukemia. He was 75.

Walsh, perhaps the most influential strategist in NFL history, popularized and perfected the "West Coast offense" that paved the way for five 49ers Super Bowl victories. His innovations also propelled players such as Joe Montana toward the Hall of Fame and provided an oft-copied blueprint for coaches at every level.

Walsh died peacefully at 10:45 a.m. with his family by his side, according to family spokesman Kirk Reynolds. Walsh is survived by his wife, Geri; his daughter, Elizabeth; and his son, Craig. A second son, Steve, died of leukemia in 2002.

"This is just a tremendous loss for all of us, especially to the Bay Area because of what he meant to the 49ers," Montana told the Associated Press. "For me personally, outside of my dad he was probably the most influential person in my life. I am going to miss him."

Walsh was social until the end, Reynolds said. Sunday, former Stanford Coach Tyrone Willingham presented Walsh with the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, courtesy of the American Football Coaches Association, for his contributions to the game. John Madden and Al Davis visited with Walsh on Saturday.

Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott paid Walsh a visit Wednesday. San Jose State President Don Kassing and athletic director Tom Bowen saw him Friday.

"We went to say goodbye," SJSU's Kassing said. "It was terribly sad, but Bill said, `Hey, Don, come over here.' I felt very priviledged to know him and have a chance to see him last week."

Walsh went 102-63-1 in 10 seasons with the 49ers and led the team to Super Bowl victories in the 1981, 1984 and 1988 seasons. He also left behind the framework for the '89 and '94 title teams.

"The secret was not only the fact that the team was victorious, but also the way it went about winning and handling the wins," Carmen Policy, the 49ers president during Walsh's glory years, said recently. "The team became a virtual bridge that linked the entire Bay Area into one community and all of the components of that community into one citizenry."

Along the way, Walsh mentored dozens of men who went on to be NFL coaches, and he later served as a major force in shaping the athletic departments of San Jose State and Stanford.

"Bill could have run Google or Microsoft," said Brent Jones, a 49ers tight end in 1987-97. "He was not happy with good, or very good, it had to be excellent at all times. He did that in his approach to coaching, design of plays and in his personnel."

Hired by desperate owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. in 1979 and charged with turning around a moribund franchise, Walsh promptly laid the groundwork for one of the most successful stretches in sports history. His teams won six NFC West titles, won at least 10 games in seven of his final eight seasons and set a standard in which anything less than a Super Bowl was a crushing disappointment.

Walsh, who looked like a professor, was frequently portrayed as an egghead. As the late Jim Murray, the legendary Los Angeles Times columnist once wrote: "You half expect his headset is playing Mozart."

There was an element of truth to the depiction, as Walsh's wizardry at the chalkboard earned him the nickname "The Genius."

But the coach bristled at the stereotype; he was no wimpy intellectual. Walsh fought as a heavyweight in college - and later used boxing psychology in his tactics - and was unafraid of berating a burly lineman for a mistake. Walsh may have looked refined, though at times his language was anything but formal.

"It was spicy. Very spicy," former lineman Randy Cross said.

Walsh proved tough in his personal life as well, caring for his ailing wife and dealing with the death of his son at a young age. Walsh even overpowered the effects of leukemia longer than expected and remained active in his final months.

Just a few weeks ago, he was spotted at the Stanford football practice field, taking in action from a summer camp.

Walsh was accustomed to a busy life. He retired from coaching the 49ers in 1989 but still managed to reshape Bay Area football over the course of the next 18 years.

He was the 49ers' general manager, served Stanford in several capacities, including head coach and interim athletic director, and helped save the football program at San Jose State, his alma mater.

But Walsh will most be remembered for his accomplishments with the 49ers, starting with the iconic victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC championship game during the 1981 season. That game culminated with the dynasty-launching throw from Montana to Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone, a winning touchdown that became known as "The Catch."

"It was a classic game, I'll say that, and overcoming Dallas that day was huge, huge for our franchise," Walsh recalled during an interview with the Mercury News this spring. "Joe's throw and Dwight's catch continued our momentum to our first Super Bowl. But it was our coaches, players and team as a whole coming together in the crucible of a pressure game that was central to the ascendancy of the 49ers. That was the breakthrough for us."

Both private and public services are expected to be held this week, although details are not yet known.

Walsh's family is establishing a website, CoachWalsh.com.

Contact Daniel Brown at dbrown@mercurynews.com. Contact Dennis Georgatos at dgeorgatos@mercurynews.com.