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If they ever do a Mount Rushmore of NFL coaches, Bill Walsh would surely be up there next to George Halas, Paul Brown and Vince Lombardi.
Walsh didn't win as many games as Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins nor did he win as many Super Bowls as Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but all of football bowed its head Monday when it learned Walsh had died of leukemia. He was 75.
He commanded that kind of respect. He was the soft-spoken, easygoing Californian with the steel trap for a mind. He won games and titles aplenty in his decade as coach of the San Francisco 49ers, but it was his ability to teach players, devise offensive schemes and develop a legion of successful coaches that elevated Walsh to a higher stature.
Most everyone has heard of the West Coast offence; that pass-first, pass-often approach that can, when executed properly, spread a defence thinner than a first-down marker. Walsh polished his version of the West Coast offence to the point where it could slice through the best defensive units around. He drafted quarterback Joe Montana, who orchestrated Walsh's system like John Williams conducting the Boston Pops. He added receiver Jerry Rice, versatile running back Roger Craig, monster defensive back Ronnie Lott. He picked up a free-agent tight end by the name of Brent Jones and turned him into a four-time Pro Bowl player.
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Jones was in North Carolina at a children's soccer tournament Monday when he heard of Walsh's passing. The two had become good friends after Jones's playing career ended.
As a board member of San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises, which owns the NHL's San Jose Sharks, Jones had wanted Walsh to speak to the group and pass along his insights on leadership and getting the best from people.
“Bill transcended sports,” Jones explained. “He taught at the Stanford business school. He knew about motivation and he paid tremendous attention to detail … I can still remember what it was like to sit in that locker room listening to The Genius every day. I was pinching myself to make sure it was really happening.”
Jones flourished under Walsh's tutelage. He went on to play 11 seasons, win three Super Bowls and eventually start a business (Northgate Capital). In the past 10 days, as Walsh's condition worsened, Jones spoke to his friend and former coach and was waiting for a call to visit Walsh at his Bay Area home.
“He was absolutely lucid,” Jones said. “He talked of memories and he was aware of his situation. He assured me he wanted to talk and I knew he was getting a lot of phone calls … It's rare for a head coach to get that close to his players, but Bill wasn't afraid to do that.”
Walsh's quest for learning, for always trying to be better, inspired the many coaches who worked for him, from George Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Dennis Green, Sam Wyche, Bruce Coslet and Ray Rhodes to a new generation that continues to follow and tinker with his ideas.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged Walsh's impact by issuing a statement that read: “The essence of Bill Walsh is that he was an extraordinary teacher. If you gave him a blackboard and a piece of chalk, he would become a whirlwind of wisdom. He taught us all not only about football but about life and how it takes teamwork for any of us to succeed as individuals.”
Jones called him a visionary.
“He was 10 years ahead of the current range of thinking,” Jones said. “He started the program that helped Afro-American coaches [the Minority Coaching Fellowship program]. For him, it wasn't just talking about something, it was doing it.”
When his NFL coaching career ended, Walsh became the consummate mentor. He was an adviser with the 49ers, an adviser at Stanford University, where he coached a few seasons, and even at San Jose State, the school that produced 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia.
Walsh also did charity work, lectured as a motivational speaker and wrote two books, one on football, the other entitled Finding the Winning Edge. As for the NFL record book, it proudly proclaims Walsh as one of its finest coaches based on wins and losses and championship triumphs.
But the measure of the man is the measure of his influence. He changed the game. He changed those in the game and off the field, too.
“Outside of my dad, he was probably the most influential person in my life,” Montana told reporters. “I am going to miss him.”
The next time they play an NFL game, there will be dozens of reminders why Walsh belongs in a special place; a cut above of the rest, you could say.
