NFL Hall of Famer

Program Title - An Evening With Bill Walsh

Bill Walsh is clearly one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. His achievements during his 10 years as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers are unparalleled in the sport. In 1979, Coach Walsh took over a losing San Francisco 49ers team and built it into the most successful NFL franchise over the last two decades. Three years later, the 49ers went 16-3 and won the 1981 Super Bowl. Coach Walsh's 1984 team, considered one of the best in NFL history, finished 18-1 and again won the Super Bowl. Walsh earned his third Super Bowl title in his last season as head coach, by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1989 Super Bowl. In addition to the three Super Bowl titles, Walsh led the 49ers to seven NFC playoff appearances and six NFC Western Division Conference Titles.

After a stellar NFL career, Coach Walsh was rewarded by becoming one of only 14 coaches in the history of professional football to be elected to the NFL Hall of Fame. In addition, Walsh was twice named NFL Coach-of-the-Year in 1981 and 1984 and was later named NFL Coach-of-the-Decade for the 1980s. Besides coaching the 49ers, Walsh has twice served as the head coach of the Stanford Cardinals for a total of five seasons. In those five seasons, the Cardinals won three Bowl Games, including a 1992 Pac-Ten Co-Championship. In 1994, Walsh was instrumental in the establishment and management of the World League of American Football, now known as NFL Europe. He has continued to serve the league as a consultant and representative in various NFL ventures. Walsh’s impact on the coaching industry is apparent by the rise of former assistants, players and people who have come under his influence. In 1987, Walsh created the Minority Coaching Fellowship program that has been adopted by the NFL as a league-wide program. After 10 seasons with San Francisco, Walsh joined NBC Sports in 1989 and teamed with award-winning announcer Dick Enberg for three seasons as the network’s top analyst on NFL and Notre Dame telecasts. Coach Walsh has also served as a consultant to the NFL and to the 49ers and as a corporate speaker. Walsh is also the author of two books: “Finding the Winning Edge” and “Building a Champion.”