Bill Walsh, the Hall of Fame 49’ers coach, lost his valiant battle with leukemia on July 30th. He was 75 years old.

Called “The Genius,” he was an innovative coach who created the “West Coast offense”  - the most imitated strategy of NFL teams for the last 25 years. He is credited for three Super Bowl victories with the San Francisco 49’ers. His plays were characterized by minute details. It is said that his offenses were always so good that the defenses were overlooked.

He fine-tuned his plays to the abilities of his players, who included such notables as Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott and Steve Young. He had an eye for talent in the raw. Player Jerry Rice, having performed poorly in trial runs for NFL scouts, nonetheless impressed Coach Walsh as a “diamond in the rough” who then turned him into a star Receiver and MVP player.

After his Super Bowl victories, Walsh became a broadcaster for NBC, and then returned to Stanford as head coach to revitalize the team there.

Socially conscious, Walsh mentored and supported black players to become coaches at a time when they were often shut out of management.

In addition to his coaching, he was also the author of two books, a motivational speaker, and taught classes at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

His lasting legacy will always be the players and coaches around him who said he was the best teacher they ever had.

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