Notable for the Parcells quotes.
Former Niners' coach dies
Bill Walsh, 75, succumbs to leukemia
Tuesday, July 31st 2007, 8:52 AM
Bill Parcells and Bill Walsh had just met in the playoffs three years in a row and now the circumstances were so different. It was the 1987 strike season and the NFL was trying to break the union with replacement players.
Walsh's fake 49ers were beating up on Parcells' fake Giants with the game obviously lacking the intensity or emotion of the postseason showdowns between two of the greatest coaches in NFL history. At one point in San Francisco's 41-21 victory, Walsh and Parcells caught each other's eye from the opposite sideline and started laughing.
"They were running the wishbone," Parcells recalled with a laugh yesterday, still incredulous 20 years later.
Walsh later explained to Parcells it was not his idea. He blamed it on his coaches.
"I believed him after awhile," Parcells said after getting the news that Walsh, 75, had died yesterday at his home in Woodside, Calif., his family at his side, after a lengthy battle with leukemia.
After all, it was not part of the West Coast offense that Walsh introduced to the NFL with Joe Montana. It became the most popular offense in the NFL once Walsh's many protégés became head coaches.
He was the greatest offensive innovator of his generation, maybe ever, and his philosophy was a perfect mix with the skills of Montana, helping to turn him into the best QB of all time.
"This is just a tremendous loss for all of us, especially to the Bay Area because of what he meant to the 49ers," Montana said. "For me personally, outside of my dad he was probably the most influential person in my life. I am going to miss him."
Montana became a master of Walsh's offense, which placed a premium on a short, precision passing game to keep the ball moving and put the receivers in position to gain yards after the catch. It also had the ability to strike deep, especially after Walsh drafted Jerry Rice in 1985.
"I'm saddened by the news of his passing," Parcells said. "He was a fierce rival. Some of the greatest games I was ever involved in were with him, with his team. He leaves a tremendous legacy of innovation offensively and a coaching tree that is certainly comparable to anyone's. It's guys like Bill Walsh who have made the NFL what it is today."
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, one of the many Walsh assistants who became head coaches, recalled yesterday, "I always said that he was an artist and all the rest of us were blacksmiths pounding the anvil, while he was painting the picture."
Walsh would often come off as if he invented football, but that was part of his charm. He could be condescending and act like he was smarter than everybody else, which is what happens when you take over a 2-14 team and win the Super Bowl in your third year. He also was the guiding force behind the NFL's minority coaching internship program.
Walsh won two more titles with the Niners before he prematurely retired after winning the Super Bowl following the 1988 season. The 49ers won two more with George Seifert in the next six seasons.
"His Hall of Fame coaching accomplishments speak for themselves, but the essence of Bill Walsh was that he was an extraordinary teacher," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "If you gave him a blackboard and a piece of chalk, he would become a whirlwind of wisdom. He taught all of us not only about football but also about life and how it takes teamwork for any of us to succeed as individuals."
The course of 49ers and Giants history would have been much different if Walsh got the quarterback he really wanted in the 1979 draft. He identified Phil Simms as his guy, but without a first-round pick, he was counting on Simms lasting until early in the second round. Instead, the Giants drafted Simms with the No.7 pick.
Walsh then waited until the third round to take Montana, although some in the 49ers organization insist Walsh had to be talked out of drafting Steve Dils, his quarterback at Stanford, instead of Montana.
Walsh and Montana beat the Giants in the '81 playoffs with Simms out with an injury and Parcells the defensive coordinator. The Niners won the Super Bowl. Then in 1984, Walsh and Montana beat Simms and Parcells in the divisional round on the way to their second Super Bowl title.
It all changed in 1985 when the Giants beat the Super Bowl champs 17-3 in the wild-card round. The Giants threw a party at Giants Stadium the next year, beating the Niners 49-3 in the divisional round on the way to their first Super Bowl victory. So, in back-to-back playoff years, the Giants held Walsh's offense to two field goals.
"They were on top," Parcells said. "They were what we were aspiring to be."
Walsh didn't get his first NFL head coaching job until he was 47 - old by today's Eric Mangini/Lane Kiffin standards. After he left the Niners, he got the coaching itch again and returned to Stanford, where he coached before the 49ers hired him. He would return to the 49ers front office to help get them out of a salary cap mess. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004.
In addition to being a brilliant coach, he also had a sharp wit. After Montana's throw led to "The Catch" by Dwight Clark that sent the Niners to their first Super Bowl, Walsh arrived ahead of his team at its hotel in Detroit. Trying to lighten the mood, he dressed up in a bellman's uniform and began taking the bags of the players. They ignored him, didn't recognize him, almost shoved him aside. They didn't tip him. "You've got to have some fun sometimes," Walsh said.
Last year, Walsh stopped by to see Parcells in his Cowboys office. It was the last time they saw each other. "We sat and talked about coaching, the game, with a little nostalgia in there," Parcells said sadly. "It was good."
