1. William Ernest Walsh was an American professional and college football coach.
40 Facts About Bill Walsh
1. 2.
Bill Walsh served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinal, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense.
3.
Bill Walsh was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1984.
4.
Bill Walsh is widely considered amongst the greatest coaches in NFL history.
5.
Bill Walsh attended Hayward High School in Hayward in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he played running back.
6.
Bill Walsh played quarterback at the College of San Mateo for two seasons.
7.
Bill Walsh participated in intercollegiate boxing, winning the golden glove.
8.
Bill Walsh graduated from San Jose State with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1955.
9.
Bill Walsh served under Bob Bronzan as a graduate assistant coach on the Spartans football coaching staff and graduated with a master's degree in physical education from San Jose State in 1959.
10.
Bill Walsh began his pro coaching career in 1966 as an assistant with the AFL's Oakland Raiders.
11.
Bill Walsh left the Raiders the next year to become the head coach and general manager of the San Jose Apaches of the Continental Football League.
12.
Bill Walsh led the Apaches to second place in the Pacific Division, but the team ceased all football operations prior to the start of the 1968 CFL season.
13.
In 1968, Bill Walsh joined the staff of head coach Paul Brown of the AFL expansion Cincinnati Bengals, where he coached wide receivers from 1968 to 1970.
14.
In 1971 Bill Walsh was given the additional responsibility of coaching the quarterbacks, and Carter went on to lead the league in pass completion percentage.
15.
In 1977, Bill Walsh was hired by Stanford University as the head coach of its Cardinal football team, where he stayed for two seasons.
16.
Bill Walsh was the Pac-8 Conference Coach of the Year in 1977.
17.
On January 9,1979, Walsh resigned as head coach at Stanford, and San Francisco 49ers team owner Edward J DeBartolo, Jr.
18.
Bill Walsh was appointed head coach of the 49ers the next day.
19.
Bill Walsh felt that this was because the Cowboys were scheduled to play the Rams the next week in a Sunday night game and that showing the highlights of the 49ers' win would potentially hurt the game's ratings.
20.
However, Bill Walsh used this as a motivating factor for his team, who felt they were disrespected.
21.
Bill Walsh traded a 2nd and 4th round pick in the 1987 draft for Steve Young, who took over from Montana, led the team to Super Bowl success, and was enshrined in Canton after his playing career.
22.
Bill Walsh resigned as the 49ers head coach after the game.
23.
Bill Walsh admitted years later that he immediately regretted the decision saying that he left too soon.
24.
Bill Walsh was finally able to win a Super Bowl, when his Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, and two consecutive when his Chiefs defeated the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
25.
Bill Walsh was viewed as a strong advocate for African-American head coaches in the NFL and NCAA.
26.
Bill Walsh directly helped propel Dennis Green into the NFL head coaching ranks by offering to take on the head coaching job at Stanford.
27.
Second, late in the 1990 season, Bill Walsh was rumored to become Tampa Bay's next head coach and general manager after the team fired Ray Perkins and promoted Richard Williamson on an interim basis.
28.
Bill Walsh would continue in his role with NBC for 1991.
29.
On January 15,1992, Bill Walsh agreed to return to Stanford to serve as their head coach with a five year contract with an annual salary of $350,000 to replace Dennis Green; he immediately named Terry Shea as offensive coordinator.
30.
In November 1994, after consecutive losing seasons, Bill Walsh left Stanford and retired from coaching.
31.
In 1996, Bill Walsh returned to the 49ers as an administrative aide.
32.
Bill Walsh was the vice president and general manager for the 49ers from 1999 to 2001 and was a special consultant to the team for three years afterwards.
33.
In 2004, Bill Walsh was appointed as special assistant to the athletic director at Stanford.
34.
In 2005, after then-athletic director Ted Leland stepped down, Bill Walsh was named interim athletic director.
35.
Bill Walsh acted as a consultant for his alma mater San Jose State University in their search for an athletic director and Head Football Coach in 2005.
36.
Bill Walsh was the author of three books, a motivational speaker, and taught classes at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
37.
Bill Walsh was a board member for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott, and is awarded annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.
38.
Bill Walsh served as a keynote speaker at the award's banquet.
39.
Bill Walsh married his college sweetheart Geri, and had 3 children; Steve, Craig and Elizabeth.
40.
Bill Walsh died of leukemia on July 30,2007, at his home in Woodside, California.