Goldmining in the hereafter...
July 31, 2007 8:49 AM Subscribe
Bill Walsh, 11/30/1931-7/30/2007. Walsh, former coach of the San Francisco 49er's (cool tribute up on their site, currently), lost his fight with Leukemia yesterday. His career included an impressive 6 division titles and 3 super bowl wins, and his inventions included many tactics and devices still being used by many teams today, including the West Coast Offense and those laminated play cards you see many coaches using. He was also the creator of the Minority Coaching Fellowship program, helping minority coaches get a foothold in a previously white-dominated profession. RIP, Bill.
Bill Walsh also died.
posted by found missing at 9:02 AM on July 31, 2007
posted by found missing at 9:02 AM on July 31, 2007
One of the biggest minds and innovators in the sport, and reportedly a stellar man -- and much admired -- both on and off the field. Rest in peace.
posted by blucevalo at 9:23 AM on July 31, 2007
posted by blucevalo at 9:23 AM on July 31, 2007
i remember, vividly, watching San Fran totally kick the destroy the Broncos in the Super Bowl. I also remember that was the day I gave up betting on sports.
I think I was 7.
RIP Bill.
posted by Stynxno at 9:31 AM on July 31, 2007
I think I was 7.
RIP Bill.
posted by Stynxno at 9:31 AM on July 31, 2007
Sympathies to all you Frisco fans.
posted by DieHipsterDie at 10:07 AM on July 31, 2007
posted by DieHipsterDie at 10:07 AM on July 31, 2007
Fuck. Ingmar Bergman, Michelangelo Antonioni and now Bill Walsh??? Wait... who?
I kid, I kid. He always seemed like a nice man, and his players mostly law abiding. That's as good as it gets for football coaches, I think
posted by psmealey at 11:37 AM on July 31, 2007
I kid, I kid. He always seemed like a nice man, and his players mostly law abiding. That's as good as it gets for football coaches, I think
posted by psmealey at 11:37 AM on July 31, 2007
He was apparently the first coach in the NFL to use a play script.
When I first heard about it years ago, my first thought was that it was so the defense couldn't out-guess him. But then I learned (probably from Madden) how brilliant the idea was.
posted by MtDewd at 12:17 PM on July 31, 2007
When I first heard about it years ago, my first thought was that it was so the defense couldn't out-guess him. But then I learned (probably from Madden) how brilliant the idea was.
posted by MtDewd at 12:17 PM on July 31, 2007
I'm such a nerd. None of this makes any sense to me.
Frankly, I'm glad.
posted by loquacious at 12:30 PM on July 31, 2007
Frankly, I'm glad.
posted by loquacious at 12:30 PM on July 31, 2007
.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 2:34 PM on July 31, 2007
posted by The Light Fantastic at 2:34 PM on July 31, 2007
I was in Dallas amid Cowboys fans when The Catch signaled unmistakably that the heyday of the Bill Walsh-led 49ers had begun. (I was a closet fan of the Houston Oilers, a thankless avocation in that city and time, so for survival reasons I was compelled to savor my Schadenfreude silently.)
Lots of other NFL fans can't stop talking about the driven, charismatic leadership of Vince Lombardi, the cool, cerebral defensive genius of Tom Landry, and the always-good-for-a-quip blue-collar charm of "Bum" Phillips, but for me, Walsh (with Marv Levy of the Bills) epitomized what the NFL coach could and should be.
Thanks, Mr. Walsh, for many years' worth of enjoyable Sunday afternoons and not a few Monday nights.
posted by pax digita at 2:52 PM on July 31, 2007
Lots of other NFL fans can't stop talking about the driven, charismatic leadership of Vince Lombardi, the cool, cerebral defensive genius of Tom Landry, and the always-good-for-a-quip blue-collar charm of "Bum" Phillips, but for me, Walsh (with Marv Levy of the Bills) epitomized what the NFL coach could and should be.
Thanks, Mr. Walsh, for many years' worth of enjoyable Sunday afternoons and not a few Monday nights.
posted by pax digita at 2:52 PM on July 31, 2007
But then I learned (probably from Madden) how brilliant the idea was.
I learned from Madden that you could stuck a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey and the results would be delicious.
posted by b_thinky at 3:24 PM on July 31, 2007 [1 favorite]
I learned from Madden that you could stuck a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey and the results would be delicious.
posted by b_thinky at 3:24 PM on July 31, 2007 [1 favorite]
The last time I followed any US professional sport was with the Niners in the early 80s, culminating in their first Super Bowl win over the Bengals. Walsh's coaching was pure genius.
.
posted by jaimev at 3:31 PM on July 31, 2007
.
posted by jaimev at 3:31 PM on July 31, 2007
I grew up HATING the 49ers, because my Falcons were then in the NFC West, and the mighty 49ers beat up on them twice a year with depressing regularity.
But Bill Walsh was one of the great ones, and the game is diminshed by his absence.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:12 PM on July 31, 2007
But Bill Walsh was one of the great ones, and the game is diminshed by his absence.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:12 PM on July 31, 2007
loquacious, as a former sports-despising nerd, I gotta say you're missing out. No other game offers what football does - a real *turn-based* strategy with enough players ACTIVE (sorry baseball/cricket) on the field to create extremely complex formations, maneuvers, and strategies.
At the level the coaches are playing it, football is a lot like chess. Except that the pieces are variables that run across an entire gradient of characteristics. You have your receivers who are Olympic-grade runners and also your offensive linesmen which are more like trim Sumo wrestlers. Some are better than others, in different ways than others.
What makes it better than watching televised chess, however, is that simultaneously you get the gladiator-mob rush and catharsis of professional wrestling. Only it isn't fake.
Do you remember, back in the 286 era, playing Battle Chess? Football is like the Battle Chess of sports, and it fucking rules.
I enjoy *playing* soccer, volleyball, and tennis - but football is the only sport I'll watch.
posted by Ryvar at 8:00 PM on July 31, 2007 [1 favorite]
At the level the coaches are playing it, football is a lot like chess. Except that the pieces are variables that run across an entire gradient of characteristics. You have your receivers who are Olympic-grade runners and also your offensive linesmen which are more like trim Sumo wrestlers. Some are better than others, in different ways than others.
What makes it better than watching televised chess, however, is that simultaneously you get the gladiator-mob rush and catharsis of professional wrestling. Only it isn't fake.
Do you remember, back in the 286 era, playing Battle Chess? Football is like the Battle Chess of sports, and it fucking rules.
I enjoy *playing* soccer, volleyball, and tennis - but football is the only sport I'll watch.
posted by Ryvar at 8:00 PM on July 31, 2007 [1 favorite]
At the level the coaches are playing it, football is a lot like chess.
It's definitely like chess at the tactical level on game day, but at the organizational level it's like being Chief Operating Officer and President of a fairly large corporation that is dependent upon a very complex (and delicate) set of machines for its operation and prosperity. You need to oversee R&D, product development, day-to-day operations and while you don't run them per se, you still need to be accountable for the income statement and balance sheet.
Walsh was definitely one of the great ones and (along with Tom Landry who came before him) ushered the game into its modern, highly specialized form.
You can (and I do) argue that that's not a good thing, that the game is a lot more tedious and has a lot less personality than it used to, but there's no question the man was a visionary and a standout in his field.
posted by psmealey at 3:37 AM on August 1, 2007
It's definitely like chess at the tactical level on game day, but at the organizational level it's like being Chief Operating Officer and President of a fairly large corporation that is dependent upon a very complex (and delicate) set of machines for its operation and prosperity. You need to oversee R&D, product development, day-to-day operations and while you don't run them per se, you still need to be accountable for the income statement and balance sheet.
Walsh was definitely one of the great ones and (along with Tom Landry who came before him) ushered the game into its modern, highly specialized form.
You can (and I do) argue that that's not a good thing, that the game is a lot more tedious and has a lot less personality than it used to, but there's no question the man was a visionary and a standout in his field.
posted by psmealey at 3:37 AM on August 1, 2007
You can (and I do) argue that that's not a good thing, that the game is a lot more tedious and has a lot less personality than it used to, but there's no question the man was a visionary and a standout in his field.
I played in college under a coach noted for his pro-style offense. He used many of the tactics perfected by Walsh. As a freshman on the scout defense, we'd run the opposing defense against the first team offense. We always practiced by down and distance: first down, 2nd and long, 3rd and short, etc.
The coach made us run specific defenses based on the down and distance. I thought it was stupid and I recall saying (not to him!) "does he really think defenses will run what he wants them to"?
When the games actually came about, the defenses did run exactly what he predicted, almost 100% of the time.
People always talk about the genius adjustments coaches make, but they're only so noticeable because of the blandness that occurs 99.9% of the rest of the time. So yeah, it is boring and tedious.
posted by b_thinky at 11:34 AM on August 1, 2007
I played in college under a coach noted for his pro-style offense. He used many of the tactics perfected by Walsh. As a freshman on the scout defense, we'd run the opposing defense against the first team offense. We always practiced by down and distance: first down, 2nd and long, 3rd and short, etc.
The coach made us run specific defenses based on the down and distance. I thought it was stupid and I recall saying (not to him!) "does he really think defenses will run what he wants them to"?
When the games actually came about, the defenses did run exactly what he predicted, almost 100% of the time.
People always talk about the genius adjustments coaches make, but they're only so noticeable because of the blandness that occurs 99.9% of the rest of the time. So yeah, it is boring and tedious.
posted by b_thinky at 11:34 AM on August 1, 2007
« Older In Violation of Federal Law, Ohio's 2004... | Noooooooooo!!!! Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by hermitosis at 9:01 AM on July 31, 2007