He set the standard. As a bay area child growing up in the 80s, the San Francisco 49ers ruled the land. We all loved Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, and Jerry Rice. But the man behind the curtain was who I looked up to the most. Bill Walsh. The man wasn't a big rah-rah guy. He didn't yell at the referees. He was calm and reserved to all us that observed him. But when you looked deeper, he was tough, stern, and expected nothing short of perfection.
Without Bill Walsh, the 49ers never would have come close to the heights they reached. And he didn't just make his players better. The people that have coached under him also had to be the best. He pushed to have more minority coaches in the NFL. He created an offense that all teams in the league use variations of to this day. He was ahead of his time and now he is gone. It is a very sad day but also a day in which we could fondly look back on what he did for the 49ers, Stanford, the bay area, and the game we loved.
I remember a recent interview with Jerry Rice. Walsh was really ill and many thought he was going to about a year ago but he fought with everything he had. Jerry Rice said that he talked to Walsh and that he told him that he couldn't die because he had to induct him [Rice] into the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, that cannot happen but Rice also spoke about how he was amazed that some coach could put himself on the line (Walsh traded several first rounders to move up and draft Rice) for a player out of a college no one has ever heard of. Walsh saw greatness where no one else could. GENIUS!
I still remember him skipping off the field during a last second victory in Cincinnati. Then I remember him crying after he won the super bowl after coaching his last NFL game. He built the 49ers. He always demanded greatness from those around him and from himself. Growing up watching him work his magic, his team's, his attitude, and his work ethic rubbed off on me. I thank you Bill Walsh for building this city and inspiring me to be who I am today.
Without Bill Walsh, the 49ers never would have come close to the heights they reached. And he didn't just make his players better. The people that have coached under him also had to be the best. He pushed to have more minority coaches in the NFL. He created an offense that all teams in the league use variations of to this day. He was ahead of his time and now he is gone. It is a very sad day but also a day in which we could fondly look back on what he did for the 49ers, Stanford, the bay area, and the game we loved.
I remember a recent interview with Jerry Rice. Walsh was really ill and many thought he was going to about a year ago but he fought with everything he had. Jerry Rice said that he talked to Walsh and that he told him that he couldn't die because he had to induct him [Rice] into the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, that cannot happen but Rice also spoke about how he was amazed that some coach could put himself on the line (Walsh traded several first rounders to move up and draft Rice) for a player out of a college no one has ever heard of. Walsh saw greatness where no one else could. GENIUS!
I still remember him skipping off the field during a last second victory in Cincinnati. Then I remember him crying after he won the super bowl after coaching his last NFL game. He built the 49ers. He always demanded greatness from those around him and from himself. Growing up watching him work his magic, his team's, his attitude, and his work ethic rubbed off on me. I thank you Bill Walsh for building this city and inspiring me to be who I am today.
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