View source for Bill Walsh

{{Short description|American football coach (1931–2007)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
|name=Bill Walsh
|image=Coach Bill Walsh.jpg
|caption=Walsh at San Jose State in 2007
|position=
|birth_date={{Birth date|1931|11|30}}
|birth_place=[[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
|death_date={{Death date and age|2007|7|30|1931|11|30}}
|death_place=[[Woodside, California]], U.S.
|high_school=[[Hayward High School (California)|Hayward (CA)]]
|college=[[San Jose State Spartans football|San Jose State]]
|pastcoaching=
* [[Washington High School (Fremont, California)|Washington HS (CA)]] (1957–1959)<br />Head coach
* [[California Golden Bears football|California]] ([[1960 college football season|1960]]–[[1962 NCAA University Division football season|1962]])<br />Receivers coach
* [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford]] ([[1963 NCAA University Division football season|1963]]–[[1965 NCAA University Division football season|1965]])<br />Defensive backs coach
* [[Oakland Raiders]] ([[1966 AFL season|1966]])<br />Running backs coach
* [[San Jose Apaches]] (1967)<br />Head coach
* [[Cincinnati Bengals]] ([[1968 AFL season|1968]]–{{NFL Year|1975}})<br />Assistant coach
* [[San Diego Chargers]] ({{NFL Year|1976}})<br />Offensive coordinator
* Stanford ([[1977 NCAA Division I football season|1977]]–[[1978 NCAA Division I-A football season|1978]])<br />Head coach
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ({{NFL Year|1979}}–{{NFL Year|1988}})<br />Head coach
* Stanford ([[1992 NCAA Division I-A football season|1992]]–[[1994 NCAA Division I-A football season|1994]])<br />Head coach
|pastadmin=
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ({{NFL Year|1979}}–{{NFL Year|1982}})<br>General manager
* San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|1983}}–{{NFL Year|1987}})<br>President
* San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|1999}}–{{NFL Year|2000}})<br>Vice president and general manager
* San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|2002}}–{{NFL Year|2004}})<br>Consultant
|highlights=
* 3× [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl XVI|XVI]], [[Super Bowl XIX|XIX]], [[Super Bowl XXIII|XXIII]])
* [[AP NFL Coach of the Year Award|AP NFL Coach of the Year]] (1981)
* 2× [[101 Awards#Coach of the Year awards|101 Awards NFC Coach of the Year]] (1981, 1984)
* 2× [[NFL Coach of the Year Award#UPI National Football League Coach of the Year|UPI NFC Coach of the Year]] (1981, 1984)
* [[NFL 1980s All-Decade Team]]
* [[NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team]]
* [[San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame]]
* [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-8]] Coach of the Year (1977)
* [[Amos Alonzo Stagg Award]] (2008)
| coachregrecord     = NFL: 92–59–1 ({{Winning percentage|92|59|1}})<br>NCAA: 34–24–1 ({{Winning percentage|34|24|1}})
| coachplayoffrecord = 10–4 ({{Winning percentage|10|4}})
| coachrecord        = NFL: {{Winning percentage|102|63|1|record=y}}<br>NCAA: {{Winning percentage|34|24|1|record=y}}

|pfrcoach=WalsBi0
|HOF=bill-walsh
}}
'''William Ernest Walsh''' (November 30, 1931 – July 30, 2007) was an American professional and college [[American football|football]] coach. He served as head coach of the [[San Francisco 49ers]] and the [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford Cardinal]], during which time he popularized the [[West Coast offense]]. After retiring from the 49ers, Walsh worked as a sports broadcaster for several years and then returned as head coach at Stanford for three seasons.

Walsh went 102–63–1 (wins-losses-ties) with the 49ers, winning 10 of his 14 postseason games along with six division titles, three [[NFC Championship Game|NFC Championship]] titles, and three [[Super Bowls]]. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1984. In 1993, he was elected to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]. He is widely considered amongst the greatest coaches in NFL history.

==Early life==
Walsh was born in Fremont, California.  He attended [[Hayward High School (California)|Hayward High School]] in [[Hayward, California|Hayward]] in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], where he played running back.<ref name="semtyh">{{cite web | url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/30/BAG57LR8OK21.DTL | title=Former 49er head coach Bill Walsh dies | first=Tom | last=Fitzgerald | work=San Francisco Chronicle | date=July 30, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112203709/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2007%2F07%2F30%2FBAG57LR8OK21.DTL | archive-date=November 12, 2007 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
Walsh played [[quarterback]] at the [[College of San Mateo]] for two seasons.  (Both [[John Madden]] and Walsh played and coached at the College of San Mateo early in their careers.)  After playing at the College of San Mateo, Walsh transferred to [[San José State University]], where he played [[tight end]] and [[defensive end]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=November 24 |first=Darren Centi |date=October 6, 2024 |title=BILL WALSH – San Jose Sports Authority |url=https://sjsa.org/bill-walsh/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212005755/https://sjsa.org/bill-walsh/ |archive-date=December 12, 2022 |access-date=October 6, 2024 |website=San Jose Sports Authority |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 5, 2023 |title=San José State Spartans Face of the Program - College Football - ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/face/team?teamId=23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205075303/https://www.espn.com/college-football/face/team?teamId=23 |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |access-date=October 6, 2024 |website=www.espn.com |language=English}}</ref> He also participated in intercollegiate [[boxing]], winning the golden glove.

Walsh graduated from San Jose State with a [[bachelor's degree]] in [[physical education]] in 1955. After two years in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] participating on their boxing team,<ref>{{cite episode | title=The Story of the 1988 49ers | series=America's Game | series-link=America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions | date=March 8, 2007 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz3OE48jSFw | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930081410/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz3OE48jSFw| archive-date=September 30, 2020 | url-status=dead| network=NFL Network}}</ref> Walsh built a championship team at [[Washington High School (Fremont, California)|Washington High School]] in [[Fremont, California|Fremont]] before becoming an assistant coach at [[California Golden Bears football|Cal]], [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford]] and then the [[Oakland Raiders]] in 1966.<ref>{{cite news | first=Dave | last=Newhouse | title=Bill Walsh: Nov. 30, 1931 – July 30, 2007 | work=Vallejo Times Herald | location=[[Vallejo, California]] | url=http://www.timesheraldonline.com/article/ZZ/20070731/NEWS/707319869 | date=July 31, 2007}}</ref>

==College coaching career==
He served under Bob Bronzan as a graduate assistant coach on the [[San José State Spartans|Spartans]] football coaching staff and graduated with a [[master's degree]] in physical education from San Jose State in 1959.<ref>{{cite press release |title=San Jose State Legend Bill Walsh Dies |publisher=[[San Jose State University]] |date=July 30, 2007 |url=http://www.wacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10100&ATCLID=1139580 |access-date=October 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110001159/http://www.wacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10100&ATCLID=1139580 |archive-date=January 10, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His master's [[thesis]] was entitled ''Flank Formation Football -- Stress: Defense''. Thesis 796.W228f.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.mercurynews.com/billwalsh/ci_6505664 | title=Coaching legend Bill Walsh dies at 75 | author=Daniel Brown, Jon Wilner and Mack Lundstrom | date=July 31, 2007 | work=[[San Jose Mercury News]] | access-date=October 1, 2007 }}</ref>

Following graduation, Walsh coached the football and swim teams at [[Washington High School (Fremont, California)|Washington High School]] in [[Fremont, California]].  While there he interviewed for an assistant coaching position with the new head coach of the [[University of California, Berkeley]] [[California Golden Bears football|California Golden Bears]] football team, [[Marv Levy]].

"I was very impressed, individually, by his knowledge, by his intelligence, by his personality, and hired him," Levy said.  Levy and Walsh, two future NFL Hall of Famers, would never produce a winning season for the Golden Bears.

Leaving Berkeley, Walsh did a stint at [[Stanford University]] as an assistant coach of its [[Stanford Cardinal football|Cardinal]] football team before beginning his pro coaching career.

==Professional coaching career==
===Early years===
Walsh began his pro coaching career in [[1966 AFL season|1966]] as an assistant with the [[American Football League|AFL]]'s [[Oakland Raiders]]. There he was versed in the downfield-oriented "vertical" passing offense favored by [[Al Davis]], an acolyte of [[Sid Gillman]].

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]] (CFL). He 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.

In [[1968 AFL season|1968]], Walsh joined the staff of head coach [[Paul Brown]] of the AFL expansion [[Cincinnati Bengals]], where he coached wide receivers from 1968 to 1970. It was there that Walsh developed the philosophy now known as the "West Coast offense". Cincinnati's new [[quarterback]], [[Virgil Carter]], was known for his great mobility and accuracy but lacked a strong arm necessary to throw deep passes. To suit his strengths, Walsh suggested a modification of the downfield based "vertical passing scheme" he had learned during his time with the Raiders with one featuring a "horizontal" approach that relied on quick, short throws, often spreading the ball across the entire width of the field.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/5/27/886729/bill-walsh-bill-parcells-and-the | title=Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells and the Rise of the Left Tackle | publisher=MileHighReport.com | date=May 27, 2009 | author=Doc Bear}}</ref> In 1971 Walsh was given the additional responsibility of coaching the quarterbacks, and Carter went on to lead the league in pass completion percentage.

[[Ken Anderson (quarterback)|Ken Anderson]] eventually replaced Carter as starting quarterback, and, together with star [[wide receiver]] [[Isaac Curtis]], produced a consistent, effective offensive attack.

When Brown retired as head coach following the [[1975 NFL season|1975 season]] and appointed [[Bill "Tiger" Johnson]] as his successor, Walsh resigned and served as an assistant coach in [[1976 NFL season|1976]] for the [[San Diego Chargers]] under head coach [[Tommy Prothro]]. In a 2006 interview,<ref>{{cite news | author=Sam Farmer | title=Living Legend | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=December 22, 2006 | page=D1}}</ref> Walsh claimed that during his tenure with the Bengals, Brown "worked against my candidacy" to be a head coach anywhere in the league. "All the way through I had opportunities, and I never knew about them", Walsh said. "And then when I left him, he called whoever he thought was necessary to keep me out of the NFL." Walsh also claimed that Brown kept talking him down any time Brown was called by NFL teams considering hiring Walsh as a head coach.

In 1977, Walsh was hired by [[Stanford University]] as the head coach of its [[Stanford Cardinal football|Cardinal]] football team, where he stayed for two seasons. He was quite successful, with his teams posting a 9–3 record in 1977 with a win in the [[1977 Sun Bowl (December)|Sun Bowl]], and going 8–4 in 1978 with a win in the [[1978 Bluebonnet Bowl|Bluebonnet Bowl]]. His notable players at Stanford included quarterbacks [[Guy Benjamin]], [[Steve Dils]], wide receivers [[James Lofton]] and [[Ken Margerum]], linebacker [[Gordy Ceresino]], and running back [[Darrin Nelson]]. Walsh was the [[Pacific-10 Conference|Pac-8 Conference]] Coach of the Year in 1977.

===49ers head coach===
On January 9, 1979, Walsh resigned as head coach at Stanford, and [[San Francisco 49ers]] team owner [[Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr.]] fired head coach [[Fred O'Connor]] and general manager [[Joe Thomas (American football executive)|Joe Thomas]] following a 2–14 in [[1978 San Francisco 49ers season|1978 season]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/10/archives/bill-walsh-is-named-49er-coach.html "Bill Walsh Is Named 49er Coach," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Tuesday, January 9, 1979.] Retrieved November 20, 2020</ref> Walsh was appointed head coach of the 49ers the next day.

The 49ers went 2-14 again in [[1979 San Francisco 49ers season|1979]].  Hidden behind that record were organizational changes made by Walsh that set the team on a better course, including selecting [[1978 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] quarterback [[Joe Montana]] in the third round of the [[1979 NFL draft#Round three|1979 NFL draft]].

In [[1980 San Francisco 49ers season|1980]], starting quarterback [[Steve DeBerg]] got the 49ers off to a 3–0 start, but after a week 6 blowout loss to the [[1980 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] by a score of 59–14, Walsh gave Montana a chance to start. On December 7 vs. the [[1980 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]], the second-year player brought the 49ers back from a 35–7 halftime deficit to a 38–35 overtime win. In spite of this switch, the team struggled to a 6–10 finish &ndash; a record that belied a championship team in the making.

====1981 championship====
In [[1981 San Francisco 49ers season|1981]], Walsh's efforts as head coach led the team to a 13–3 regular season. The 13 wins were a franchise record at the time, and were three more than they had won in the previous three seasons combined. Key victories were two wins each over the [[1981 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] and the [[1981 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]]. The Rams were only two seasons removed from a [[Super Bowl XIV|Super Bowl]] appearance, and had dominated the series with the 49ers since 1967, winning 23, losing 3 and tying 1. San Francisco's two wins over the Rams in 1981 marked the shift of dominance in favor of the 49ers that lasted until 1998 with 30 wins (including 17 consecutively) against only 6 defeats. The 49ers blew out the Cowboys in week 6 of the regular season. On ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' that week, the win was not included in the halftime highlights. 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. However, Walsh used this as a motivating factor for his team, who felt they were disrespected.<ref>{{cite book | first=Bill | last=Walsh | title=The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership | publisher=[[Penguin Group]] | year=2009 | page=169}}</ref>

The 49ers faced the Cowboys again in the [[1981–82 NFL playoffs#NFC Championship: San Francisco 49ers 28, Dallas Cowboys 27|NFC title game]]. The contest was very close, and in the fourth quarter Walsh called a series of running plays as the 49ers marched down the field against the Cowboys' prevent defense, which had been expecting the 49ers to mainly pass. The 49ers came from behind to win the game on Joe Montana's pass completion to Dwight Clark for a touchdown, a play that came to be known simply as [[The Catch (American football)|The Catch]], propelling Walsh to his first appearance in a Super Bowl. Walsh would later write that the 49ers' two wins over the Rams showed a shift of power in their division, while the wins over the Cowboys showed a shift of power in the conference.

Two weeks later, on January 24, 1982, San Francisco faced the [[1981 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati Bengals]] in [[Super Bowl XVI]], winning 26–21 for the team's first NFL championship. Only a year removed from back-to-back two-win seasons, the 49ers had risen from the cellar to the top of the NFL in just two seasons.  What came to be known as the [[West Coast offense]] developed by Walsh<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/sports/football/31walsh.html|title=Bill Walsh, Innovator of West Coast Offense, Dies at 75|last=Goldstein|first=Richard|date=July 31, 2007|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 31, 2018}}</ref> had proven a winner.

In all, Walsh served as 49ers head coach for 10 years, winning three Super Bowl championships, in the [[1981 San Francisco 49ers season|1981]], [[1984 San Francisco 49ers season|1984]], and [[1988 San Francisco 49ers season|1988 seasons]], and establishing a new NFL record.

Walsh had a disciplined approach to game-planning, famously scripting the first 10–15 offensive plays before the start of each game. His innovative play calling and design earned him the nickname "The Genius". In the ten-year span under Walsh, San Francisco scored 3,714 points (24.4 per game), the most of any team in the league.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stathead.com/tools/tiny.fcgi?id=XECxX|title=Team Game Stats Finder - Pro Football|website=Stathead.com}}</ref>

In addition to [[Joe Montana]], Walsh drafted [[Ronnie Lott]], [[Charles Haley]], and [[Jerry Rice]], each one going on to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]. He also traded a 2nd and 4th round pick in the [[1987 NFL draft|1987 draft]] for [[Steve Young (American football)|Steve Young]], who took over from Montana, led the team to Super Bowl success, and was enshrined in Canton after his playing career. Walsh's success at every level of football, especially with the 49ers, earned him his own ticket to Canton in 1993.

On January 22, 1989, Walsh coached his final game with the 49ers, the memorable [[Super Bowl XXIII]] in which San Francisco beat Cincinnati 20–16. Walsh resigned as the 49ers head coach after the game. Walsh admitted years later that he immediately regretted the decision saying that he left too soon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wickersham |first=Seth  |date=2013-01-24 |title=The Mag: Bill Walsh's Super Bowl road map |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/8865286/former-49ers-head-coach-bill-walsh-first-book-lives-super-bowl-road-map-espn-magazine |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

===Coaching tree===
====Upline====
Walsh's upline [[coaching tree]] included working as assistant for [[American Football League]] great and Hall of Fame head coach [[Al Davis]] and [[NFL]] legend and Hall of Famer [[Paul Brown]], and, through Davis, AFL great and Hall of Fame head coach [[Sid Gillman]] of the then AFL [[San Diego Chargers|Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers]].

====Downline====
[[File:Bill Walsh coaching tree 2015 update.svg|center|750px]] 
Tree updated through December 9, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |author=Beaton, Andrew and Camden Hu |title=The NFL Coaching Tree |url=http://graphics.wsj.com/nfl-coaches/ |website=WSJ.com |date=December 9, 2015 |access-date=December 26, 2020}}</ref>

Many Walsh assistants went on to become head coaches,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://static.espn.go.com/nfl/s/westcoast/history.html | title=An offense by any other name ... | first=Len | last=Pasquarelli | author-link=Len Pasquarelli | date=October 17, 2002 | work=ESPN.com | access-date=March 12, 2009}}</ref> including [[George Seifert]], [[Mike Holmgren]], [[Ray Rhodes]], and [[Dennis Green]]. Seifert succeeded Walsh as 49ers head coach, and guided San Francisco to victories in [[Super Bowl XXIV]] and [[Super Bowl XXIX]]. Holmgren won a [[Super Bowl XXXI|Super Bowl]] with the [[Green Bay Packers]], and made 3 Super Bowl appearances as a head coach: 2 with the Packers, and another with the [[Seattle Seahawks]]. These coaches in turn have their own disciples who have used Walsh's West Coast system, such as former [[Denver Broncos]] head coach [[Mike Shanahan]] and former [[Houston Texans]] head coach [[Gary Kubiak]]. Mike Shanahan was an offensive coordinator under [[George Seifert]] and went on to win [[Super Bowl XXXII]] and [[Super Bowl XXXIII]] during his time as head coach of the [[Denver Broncos]]. Kubiak was first a [[quarterback]] coach with the 49ers, and then [[offensive coordinator]] for Shanahan with the Broncos. In 2015, he became the Broncos' head coach and led Denver to victory in [[Super Bowl 50]]. [[Dennis Green]] trained [[Tony Dungy]], who won a [[Super Bowl XLI|Super Bowl]] with the [[Indianapolis Colts]], and [[Brian Billick]] with his brother-in law and linebackers coach [[Mike Smith (American football coach)|Mike Smith]]. Billick won a [[Super Bowl XXXV|Super Bowl]] as head coach of the [[Baltimore Ravens]].

Mike Holmgren trained many of his assistants to become head coaches, including [[Jon Gruden]] and [[Andy Reid]]. Gruden won a [[Super Bowl XXXVII|Super Bowl]] with the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]. Reid served as head coach of the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] from 1999 to 2012, and guided the Eagles to multiple winning seasons and numerous playoff appearances, including 1 Super Bowl appearance. Ever since 2013, Reid has served as head coach of the [[Kansas City Chiefs]]. He 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]]. In addition to this, [[Marc Trestman]], former head coach of the [[Chicago Bears]], served as offensive coordinator under Seifert in the 90's. Gruden himself would train [[Mike Tomlin]], who led the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] to their [[Super Bowl XLIII|sixth Super Bowl championship]], and [[Jim Harbaugh]], whose 49ers would face his brother, [[John Harbaugh]], whom Reid himself trained, and the [[Baltimore Ravens]] at [[Super Bowl XLVII]], which marked the Ravens' second World Championship.

Bill Walsh was viewed as a strong advocate for African-American head coaches in the NFL and NCAA.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://archive.profootballweekly.com/content/archives2001/features_2001/dickey_011402.asp | title=It's past time | author=Glenn Dickey | publisher=ProFootballWeekly.com | date=January 14, 2002 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121164442/http://archive.profootballweekly.com/content/archives2001/features_2001/dickey_011402.asp | archive-date=November 21, 2006 }}</ref> Thus, the impact of Walsh also changed the NFL into an equal opportunity for African-American coaches. Along with [[Ray Rhodes]] and [[Dennis Green]], [[Tyrone Willingham]] became the head coach at Stanford, then later [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]] and Washington. One of [[Mike Shanahan]]'s assistants, [[Karl Dorrell]], went on to be the head coach at [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]]. Walsh directly helped propel Dennis Green into the NFL head coaching ranks by offering to take on the head coaching job at Stanford.

===Later years===
After leaving the coaching ranks immediately following his team's victory in [[Super Bowl XXIII]], Walsh went to work as a broadcaster for [[NFL on NBC|NBC]], teaming with [[Dick Enberg]] to form the lead broadcasting team, replacing [[Merlin Olsen]].

During his time with NBC, rumors began to surface that Walsh would coach again in the NFL.  There were at least two known instances.

First, according to a February 2015 article by [[Mike Florio]] of NBC Sports, [[1989 New England Patriots season|after a 5–11 season in 1989, the Patriots]] fired [[Raymond Berry]] and unsuccessfully attempted to lure Walsh to Foxborough to become head coach and general manager.  When that failed, New England promoted defensive coordinator [[Rod Rust]]; the team [[1990 New England Patriots season|split its first two games and then lost 14 straight in 1990]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/26/recalling-the-raymond-berry-era-and-new-englands-failed-run-at-bill-walsh/ | title=Recalling the Raymond Berry era and New England's failed run at Bill Walsh | date=February 26, 2015 | website=[[Profootballtalk.com|ProFootballTalk.com]] | access-date=August 8, 2020}}</ref>

Second, late in the 1990 season, Walsh was rumored to become [[1990 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay's]] next head coach and general manager after the team fired [[Ray Perkins]] and promoted [[Richard Williamson (American football)|Richard Williamson]] on an interim basis.  Part of the speculation was fueled by the fact that Walsh's contract with NBC, which ran for 1989 and 1990, would soon be up for renewal, to say nothing of the pressure [[Hugh Culverhouse]] faced to increase fan support and to fill the seats at [[Tampa Stadium]].  However, less than a week after [[Super Bowl XXV]], Walsh not only declined Tampa Bay's offer, but he and NBC agreed on a contract extension.  Walsh would continue in his role with NBC for 1991.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-01-31-9101090974-story.html | title=Walsh Won't Leave TV for Bucs | date=January 31, 1991 | newspaper=Chicago Tribune | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115030859/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-01-31-9101090974-story.html | archive-date=November 15, 2018 | access-date=August 8, 2020}}</ref>  Meanwhile, after unsuccessfully courting then-recently fired Eagles coach [[Buddy Ryan]] or Giants then-defensive coordinator [[Bill Belichick]] to man the sidelines for Tampa Bay in 1991, the Bucs stuck with Williamson.  Under Williamson's leadership, [[1991 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay won only three games in 1991]].

On January 15, 1992, 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.<ref>{{cite web | last=Maske | first=Mark | title=IT'S OFFICIAL: WALSH TO STANFORD | website=The Washington Post | date=1992-01-17 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1992/01/17/its-official-walsh-to-stanford/d1710323-416d-401c-9b9c-9020e9964c20/ }}</ref> That year, he led the Cardinal to a 10–3 record and a [[Pacific-10 Conference]] co-championship; it was the first conference championship for the program since 1971. Stanford finished the season with a victory over [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]] in the [[1993 Blockbuster Bowl|Blockbuster Bowl]] on January 1, 1993, and a #9 ranking in the final [[AP Poll]]. In November 1994, after consecutive losing seasons, Walsh left Stanford and retired from coaching.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/29/sports/college-football-walsh-leaves-stanford-after-2-losing-seasons.html | title=COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Walsh Leaves Stanford After 2 Losing Seasons | work=The New York Times | date=November 29, 1994 | last1=Weiner | first1=Richard }}</ref>

In 1996, Walsh returned to the 49ers as an administrative aide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Plaschke |first=Bill |author-link=Bill Plaschke |date=January 24, 1996 |title=Adding Walsh to the 49ers Could Stir up Trouble |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-01-24-sp-28018-story.html |access-date=August 8, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Walsh was the vice president and general manager for the 49ers from [[1999 San Francisco 49ers season|1999]] to [[2001 San Francisco 49ers season|2001]] and was a special consultant to the team for three years afterwards.

In 2004, Walsh was appointed as special assistant to the athletic director at Stanford. In 2005, after then-athletic director Ted Leland stepped down, Walsh was named interim athletic director. He also 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.

Walsh was also the author of three books, a motivational speaker, and taught classes at the [[Stanford Graduate School of Business]].

Walsh was a board member for the [[Lott Trophy|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. Walsh served as a keynote speaker at the award's banquet.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lottimpacttrophy.com/news/article/-you-are-looking-live-at- | title='You are looking live at...': Brent Musburger to Speak at Newport Beach Event | first=Pete | last=Donovan | date=August 15, 2011 | website=Lott IMPACT Trophy | access-date=August 8, 2020 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527051520/http://www.lottimpacttrophy.com/news/article/-you-are-looking-live-at- | archive-date=May 27, 2012}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
*1989 – Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]]<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Nix |first=Shann |date= June 26, 1989|title= Looking Up to The Stars Where 50 top celebs dazzle 400 students|publisher= San Francisco Chronicle |url= https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/San-Francisco-Chronicle-June-26-1989.pdf|work= Coronado Journal}}</ref>
*1993 – Pro Football Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web|title= Class of 1993 Pro Football Hall of Fame|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|url=https://www.profootballhof.com/players/bill-walsh/}}</ref> 
*1998 – San Jose State Hall of Fame and the SJSU Tower Award, the highest award given by SJSU<ref>{{cite web|title= Past San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Inductees|publisher=Inside the Spartans|url=https://247sports.com/college/san-jose-state/Article/Past-San-Jose-Sports-Hall-of-Fame-Inductees-104282309/}}</ref>

==Personal life==
{{expand section|date=October 2023}}
Bill married his college sweetheart Geri, and had 3 children; Steve, Craig and Elizabeth.

==Death==
Bill Walsh died of leukemia on July 30, 2007, at his home in [[Woodside, California]].<ref name="semtyh"/>

Following Walsh's death, the playing field at the former [[Candlestick Park]] was renamed "Bill Walsh Field".<ref name="Bill Walsh Field">{{Cite news |date=August 10, 2007 |title=Mayor announces name change at public memorial service |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2969252 |access-date=November 11, 2007 |publisher=[[ESPN]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> Additionally, the regular [[San Jose State Spartans football|San Jose State]] versus Stanford football game was renamed the "[[Bill Walsh Legacy Game]]".<ref name="Bill Walsh Legacy Game">{{cite news | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/12/SPOBS3G79.DTL&type=sports | title=Walsh's legacy all over this game | newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle | author=Michelle Smith | date=September 12, 2007 | access-date=November 11, 2007}}</ref>  [[Super Bowl XLII]] was also dedicated to Walsh's memory; at the end of the player introduction ceremonies, his son, Craig, accompanied by [[Ronnie Lott]], [[Jerry Rice]] and [[Steve Young]], performed the ceremonial [[coin toss]] with [[New York Giants]] captain [[Michael Strahan]], playing his final career [[NFL]] game, calling the toss on behalf of his Giants co-captains and the [[New England Patriots]]' captains.

==Head coaching record==
===College===
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = |  poll = both }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name      = [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford Cardinal]]
| conf      = [[Pac-12 Conference|Pacific-8/Pacific-10 Conference]]
| startyear = 1977
| endyear   = 1978
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = 
| year         = [[1977 NCAA Division I football season|1977]]
| name         = [[1977 Stanford Cardinals football team|Stanford]]
| overall      = 9–3
| conference   = 5–2
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname     = [[1977 Sun Bowl (December)|Sun]]
| bowloutcome  = W
| bcsbowl      = 
| ranking      = 15
| ranking2     = 15
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = 
| year         = [[1978 NCAA Division I-A football season|1978]]
| name         = [[1978 Stanford Cardinals football team|Stanford]]
| overall      = 8–4
| conference   = 4–3
| confstanding = T–4th
| bowlname     = [[1978 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl|Astro-Bluebonnet]]
| bowloutcome  = W
| bcsbowl      = 
| ranking      = 16
| ranking2     = 17
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name      = [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford Cardinal]]
| conf      = [[Pac-12 Conference|Pacific-10 Conference]]
| startyear = 1992
| endyear   = 1994
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year         = [[1992 NCAA Division I-A football season|1992]]
| name         = [[1992 Stanford Cardinal football team|Stanford]]
| overall      = 10–3
| conference   = 6–2
| confstanding = T–1st
| bowlname     = [[1993 Blockbuster Bowl|Blockbuster]]
| bowloutcome  = W
| bcsbowl      = 
| ranking      = 9
| ranking2     = 9
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = 
| year         = [[1993 NCAA Division I-A football season|1993]]
| name         = [[1993 Stanford Cardinal football team|Stanford]]
| overall      = 4–7
| conference   = 2–6
| confstanding = T–8th
| bowlname     = 
| bowloutcome  = 
| bcsbowl      = 
| ranking      = 
| ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = 
| year         = [[1994 NCAA Division I-A football season|1994]]
| name         = [[1994 Stanford Cardinal football team|Stanford]]
| overall      = 3–7–1
| conference   = 2–6
| confstanding = T–8th
| bowlname     = 
| bowloutcome  = 
| bcsbowl      = 
| ranking      = 
| ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name       = Stanford
| overall    = 34–24–1
| confrecord = 19–19
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall   = 34–24–1
| yearstart = 1992
| yearend   = 1992
| poll      = two
| polltype  =
}}

===NFL===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Won!!Lost!!Ties!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
![[1979 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1979 NFL season|1979]]
||2||14||0||.125||{{nowrap|4th in NFC West}}|| — || — || — || —
|-
![[1980 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1980 NFL season|1980]]
||6||10||0||.375||3rd in NFC West|| — || — || — || —
|- ! style="background:#FDE910;"
![[1981 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1981 NFL season|1981]]
||13||3||0||.812||'''1st in NFC West'''|| 3 || 0 || 1.000 || {{small|'''[[Super Bowl XVI]] champions'''}}
|-
![[1982 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1982 NFL season|1982]]
||3||6||0||.333||11th in NFC|| — || — || — || —
|-! style="background:#fdd;"
![[1983 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1983 NFL season|1983]]
||10||6||0||.625||'''1st in NFC West'''|| 1 || 1 || .500 || {{small|'''Lost to [[1983 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] in [[1983–84 NFL playoffs|NFC Championship Game]]'''}}
|- ! style="background:#FDE910;"
![[1984 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1984 NFL season|1984]]
||15||1||0||.938||'''1st in NFC West'''|| 3 || 0 || 1.000 || {{small|'''[[Super Bowl XIX]] champions'''}}
|-! style="background:#fdd;"
![[1985 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1985 NFL season|1985]]
||10||6||0||.625||{{nowrap|'''2nd in NFC West'''}}|| 0 || 1 || .000 || {{small|'''Lost to [[1985 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] in [[1985–86 NFL playoffs|NFC Wild Card Game]]'''}}
|-! style="background:#fdd;"
![[1986 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1986 NFL season|1986]]
||10||5||1||.656||'''1st in NFC West'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || {{small|'''Lost to [[1986 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] in [[1986–87 NFL playoffs|NFC Divisional Game]]'''}}
|-! style="background:#fdd;"
![[1987 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1987 NFL season|1987]]
||13||2||0||.867||'''1st in NFC West'''|| 0 || 1 || .000 || {{small|'''Lost to [[1987 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] in [[1987–88 NFL playoffs|NFC Divisional Game]]'''}}
|- ! style="background:#FDE910;"
![[1988 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]||[[1988 NFL season|1988]]
||10||6||0||.625||'''1st in NFC West'''|| 3 || 0 || 1.000 || {{small|'''[[Super Bowl XXIII]] champions'''}}
|-
! colspan="2"|SF Total||92||59||1||.609|||| 10 || 4 || .714 ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/WalsBi0.htm|title=Bill Walsh Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref>||92||59||1||.609|||| 10 || 4 || .714 ||
|}

==Books==
* Bill Walsh and Glenn Dickey, ''Building a Champion: On Football and the Making of the 49ers''. St Martin's Press, 1990. ({{ISBN|0-312-04969-2}}).
* Bill Walsh, Brian Billick and James A. Peterson, ''Finding the Winning Edge''. Sports Publishing, 1998. ({{ISBN|1-571-67172-2}}).
* Bill Walsh with Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh, ''[[The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership]]''. Penguin Group Publishing, 2009 ({{ISBN|978-1-59184-266-8}}).

==See also==
* ''[[Bill Walsh College Football]]'', a 1993 video game
* ''[[Bill Walsh College Football '95]]'', a 1994 video game

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Profootballhof|bill-walsh}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Merlin Olsen]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=''[[NFL on NBC]]'' lead analyst|years=1989–1991}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Bob Trumpy]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Navboxes
|list1 =
{{Stanford Cardinal football coach navbox}}
{{San Francisco 49ers coach navbox}}
{{San Francisco 49ers general manager navbox}}
{{San Francisco 49ers president navbox}}
{{Pac-12 Coach of the Year}}
{{AP NFL Coaches of the Year}}
{{Super Bowl XVI}}
{{Super Bowl XIX}}
{{Super Bowl XXIII}}
{{NFL1980s}}
{{NFL100}}
{{San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame}}
{{1993 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{Amos Alonzo Stagg Award}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Bill}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American memoirists]]
[[Category:American football defensive ends]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:American football tight ends]]
[[Category:American motivational writers]]
[[Category:College football announcers]]
[[Category:California Golden Bears football coaches]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Bengals coaches]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from California]]
[[Category:Continental Football League coaches]]
[[Category:Deaths from leukemia in California]]
[[Category:Hayward High School (California) alumni]]
[[Category:High school football coaches in California]]
[[Category:NFL announcers]]
[[Category:NFL Coach of the Year winners]]
[[Category:NFL general managers]]
[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football announcers]]
[[Category:Oakland Raiders coaches]]
[[Category:People from Woodside, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Hayward, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:San Diego Chargers coaches]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers executives]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers head coaches]]
[[Category:San Mateo Bulldogs football players]]
[[Category:San Jose State Spartans football coaches]]
[[Category:San Jose State Spartans football players]]
[[Category:Sports coaches from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Stanford Cardinal football coaches]]
[[Category:Super Bowl–winning head coaches]]