For those of us who are lovers of the game of football, we lost a truely gifted soul yesterday with the passing of Bill Walsh. For me, other than my father, Bill Walsh taught me more about the game of football and how it should be played than any other. His unique cerebral approach to the sport enlivened and refreshed a game formerly dominated by the "three plays and a cloud of dust" mentality of his day.
Bill Walsh was a fighter in the truest definition of the word. His physical stature led no one to believe that this man was a boxer, much less a fairly good one however it was this training as a fighter in the ring that formed the basis of his philosophy as a offensive genius. "Hit them before they hit you". "Beat them to the punch" were phrases that were commonly heard throughout the 49er organization.
Bill was not only known for his innovations in developing what it now known as "the West Coast Offense" but also for his uncanny nack of seeing inside the player. He drafted numerous players who were not shall we say scuptured for their position. In fact he drafted the skinny, lanky Joe Montana as quarterback out of Notre Dame in the third round who inarguably became one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game. He used him to mold a team of unknown kids into a three time Superbowl powerhouse. He then turned around and drafted a cocky receiver in the 7th round named Jerry Rice out of unheralded Old Mississippi State University, (I know ... where?) and turned him into a legend.
To this day numerous players from the 1982 team through this very day credit Bill Walsh for teaching them not only the skills of the game but in directing and teaching them life skills and teamwork that changed their lives.
The football world owes an untold debt to Bill Walsh and from this persons perspective, so do I, not because I knew him personally but because of the example he was. God's Speed Bill, the game and I will never forget you.
Bill Walsh was a fighter in the truest definition of the word. His physical stature led no one to believe that this man was a boxer, much less a fairly good one however it was this training as a fighter in the ring that formed the basis of his philosophy as a offensive genius. "Hit them before they hit you". "Beat them to the punch" were phrases that were commonly heard throughout the 49er organization.
Bill was not only known for his innovations in developing what it now known as "the West Coast Offense" but also for his uncanny nack of seeing inside the player. He drafted numerous players who were not shall we say scuptured for their position. In fact he drafted the skinny, lanky Joe Montana as quarterback out of Notre Dame in the third round who inarguably became one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game. He used him to mold a team of unknown kids into a three time Superbowl powerhouse. He then turned around and drafted a cocky receiver in the 7th round named Jerry Rice out of unheralded Old Mississippi State University, (I know ... where?) and turned him into a legend.
To this day numerous players from the 1982 team through this very day credit Bill Walsh for teaching them not only the skills of the game but in directing and teaching them life skills and teamwork that changed their lives.
The football world owes an untold debt to Bill Walsh and from this persons perspective, so do I, not because I knew him personally but because of the example he was. God's Speed Bill, the game and I will never forget you.
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