Bill Walsh, Genius Coach of the 49ers, Dies at 75

I rooted against Bill Walsh’s teams passionately. No single game has ever broken my heart like the 1981 NFC Championship (a.k.a. “The Catch”). (An eight-year-old Cowboys fan just isn’t equipped emotionally to deal with a game like that.) But the man was a genius, both strategically and in terms of his uncanny ability to spot genius in players. At least three of his draft picks — Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Ronnie Lott — are in my opinion the best to ever play their positions in the NFL. That is not a coincidence.

Bill Walsh personified what makes football a glorious sport.

★ Tuesday, 31 July 2007