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It didn't register when I heard that Bill Walsh died. My phone had just beeped at me. Somebody was suggesting that I do an obit here on LAist. "Sure," I thought. "Too bad I don't have time. Maybe I'll bury it in LAst Night's Action."
I was wrong.
Maybe I was in denial.
While trying to recap the happenings in local sports, I couldn't discard Bill Walsh into a pile of other stories from "elsewhere." The more copy I read from other outlets, the more it started to sink in. And then I saw the pictures. Images can have a stirring effect, and seeing Bill Walsh held aloft by his players brought me back to a childhood spent watching this man and idolizing his teams. A NorCal native, his legacy transcended trivial things like location.
I'm not just talking about how this man invented the West Coast offense and revolutionized the way football is coached. I'm not even saying that he's a major reason football became the most popular sport in America (which he is).
Bill Walsh was a father figure to the Bay Area and a role model to the world. His unwavering cool was rivaled only by that of his fabled quarterback, Joe Montana. Glory dripped from everything he touched, inspiring legions of young fans to believe that they could achieve anything. He took a national laughingstock and created a national champion in two years. Sure, Lou Holtz may have said, "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it." Walsh embodied it.
Walsh also taught us that being smart didn't mean you were uncool, it meant you wore three Super Bowl rings. How many people today are setting that example for kids? Few people have the opportunity to be such a role model. Fewer actually make such a strong impact on so many lives.
As a fan who grew up in the Bay Area during the glory days, Bill made my childhood Sundays a lot of fun. His passing is difficult to swallow. It pushes many happy memories further into the past and me closer to my own mortality. That's how significant good coaches and great role models can be.
Thank you for everything, Bill. You are missed.
AP file photo.
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Adam --
Thank you SO much for posting about Walsh even though it's not LA-specific. I wrote about it on my own book blog as well yesterday - even though it had nothing to do with books: http://counterbalance.typepad.com/counterbalance/2007/07/sad-day-for-my-.html
I also lived in SF during the Walsh years and he will be sorely missed.
A great post from the heart....thank you.
Growing up I despised the 49ers. I wasn't much of a Rams fan or even a Raiders fan for that matter, but I loved the Dodgers and hated the Giants, and the 49ers constantly beating up on the Rams became an extension of my deeply-rooted hatred for the Bay Area. For reasons only comprehensible for an 8 year-old I detested Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, and their ringleader, Bill Walsh. It wasn't until I matured -- relatively speaking -- that I discovered a newfound respect for the 49ers and what they meant to football. Football is what it is today because of Bill Walsh. He has a rightful place in the pantheon of gridiron coaches alongside Lombardi, Halas, Landry, and Noll.