R.I.P. Bill Walsh

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I was a fan when he came to Stanford because I think most young kids think handing off is boring and Stanford actually threw the ball.

When he came to the Niners, I thought he was going to snag Guy Benjamin and they were going to lead them to the promised land [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

Loved the press conferences early in the week when they were going to play some crap team like Tampa and Walsh would say, "Oh, they're very capable of causing us problems..." and the writers laugh at him.

And who can forget dressing up as a bellhop before SB XVI to keep the team loose?



RIP Bill.

[RickAstleyFan]

Dang, I heard he was sick but...

[Double Eagle]

It's possible only those of us old enough to have been Niner fans prior to his arrival in San Francisco can appreciate how incredible he was. Upon hearing the news of his passing I began thinking about all of the great memories he and his teams provided me. They include:

- Week 6, 1981. The young Niners, with the newly acquired Fred Dean wreaking havoc, steamroll the visiting Cowboys 45-14. When the game doesn't even get a mention on the Monday night football highlight package, Walsh rips Howard Cosell and the "NFL elite" for slighting his upstart team. He was serving notice that his team, the laughingstocks of the league just two years earlier were going to be a force to be reckoned with.

- NFC Championship game 1981 - Of course there was The Catch, but the play that goes overlooked is the tackle that Eric Wright made on Drew Pearson as the Cowboys tried to come back in the waning seconds of the game. If Wright doesn't grab Pearson by the back of the jersey and pull him down, maybe the history of football in the Eighties is quite different.

- Super Bowl XVI. The sight of Walsh hugging Eddie Debartolo and sobbing openly after the Lombardi trophy was presented was something that will always stay with me. Clearly this was the culmination of a lifetime in football, and a moment that even a few years earlier he had all but given up hope of experiencing.

- Week 2, 1987. The Niners score on the last play of the game vs the Bengals after an unbelievable coaching gaffe by Sam Wyche. A giddy Walsh literally skipped off the field sporting a smile as big as the Cheshire cat.

- NFC Championship game, 1988. The Bears had defense had manhandled the Niners in a Monday night game earlier in the year, so Niner fans were not optimistic when they heard that the wind chill temperatures for the game would be somewhere around -30F or so. Walsh's game plan on offense was perfect and the defense made Jim McMahon look horrible as the "finesee" team destroyed Chicago in an easy 28-3 win. After 3 years of playoff disappointments, this was probably the most surprising (and satisfying) win of the Eighties for the Niner faithful.

- Super Bowl XXIII - Looking at and listening to Walsh after the game, which featured yet another last minute comeback drive, I could tell that this was probably his last game as coach and was filled with a sense of dread and sadness. As one who remembered how hopeless our team was prior to his arrival, it wasn't clear if the team's success would continue without him. Luckily his system (both on and off the field) survived him, and the Niners would add two more championships and a decade of continued success as a direct result of his ten years in scarlet and gold.

I am sad today to think that he is gone, but happy to remember a man who brought me so much joy.

[moayer]

bill walsh revolutionized the game of football

[TruFloridaGator]

Wow, tragic loss. RIP

[mosdef]

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bill walsh revolutionized the game of football

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There's some good info/commentary on Walsh in Michael Lewis's book on football.

[Case Closed]

Sad Day.

[RickAstleyFan]

At least he will be able to join his son Adam in heaven.

[Pat Southern]

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bill walsh revolutionized the game of football

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There's some good info/commentary on Walsh in Michael Lewis's book on football.

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Definately. I'm a Niners fan but was a little too young to appreciate just how much Walsh did to revolutionize the franchise and teh game itself until I read "The Blind Side." I think any niner fan (or football fan in general) should pick it up.

[Bill Murphy]

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It's possible only those of us old enough to have been Niner fans prior to his arrival in San Francisco can appreciate how incredible he was.


- NFC Championship game 1981 - Of course there was The Catch, but the play that goes overlooked is the tackle that Eric Wright made on Drew Pearson as the Cowboys tried to come back in the waning seconds of the game. If Wright doesn't grab Pearson by the back of the jersey and pull him down, maybe the history of football in the Eighties is quite different.



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Absolutely goddamn right. The Wright tackle might be the most overlooked play in the history of team sports. I've almost never seen, read or heard it mentioned; it often doesn't even make rebroadcasts of the game.

The first Niners game I remember is the '72 Divisional where Staubach got two TD's in the last 2:02 to beat 'em 30-28. And of course they'd lost the previous two NFC Championship games to Dallas, as well.

Then they were [censored], winning only four games in the two seasons before he was hired, then two his first year, then 6-10.

Then Walsh takes a 3rd round QB, three rookie DB's, a discarded Hacksaw Reynolds & disgruntled Fred Dean, and a bunch of no names and wins the [censored] Superbowlament! Never forget that goal line stand (Dan Bunz FTW) or Ray Wersching's 'pooch' kickoffs.

Amazing coach, organization planner, game manager & personnel evaluator & developer. Maybe the best combined overall at these things of any coach in any sport. Enormous influence on & off the field; no point in repeating what's being written everywhere, though he deserves extra credit for starting the Minority Coaching Fellowship.

The Colts brought him in to look at Manning & Leaf in '98. After a little while he said "Manning, and it's not close".

I knew this was coming soon, but reading all the anecdotes (and be sure ya'll read "The Blind Side" who haven't yet), and thinking about all those great slugfests in the '80s against the Bears, Giants & Redskins plus the Supes, brought a lump up, no question. RIP.