Bill Walsh, the great coach of the NFL's San Francisco Forty-Niners during the 80's, died today from leukemia.
Walsh was the genius behind the "West Coast Offense," won three Super Bowls, and deserves credit for the two Super Bowls the Niners won under George Seifert. Walsh's coaching disciples are littered through the NFL and most teams still run a version of his passing schemes.
But I'll leave it to the sports writers to write about what a great coach he was.
What I want to focus on here is that Walsh also seemed like a decent guy and was a refreshing contrast to ostentatious assholes like Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin who also came up during the era of Niner domination.
You have to wonder why it happened, but it was Parcells' bullying and screaming became the model for football coaches at the college, high school, and (at least in Rowan County, KY) middle school levels rather than Walsh's matter-of-fact self-confidence. It's too bad. Walsh was a better coach and a better man than Parcells.
But maybe the trend is moving in the other direction. Tony Dungy, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, is cut out of the same cloth as Bill Walsh. Football's certainly a violent game but there's no reason why it has to be dominated by assholes and super-assholes.
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7 comments:
Being from Indianapolis, and a Colts season ticket holder, I resent you using Tony Dungy to make a point. Not that you did not do so in a respectful way, it is just that your track record for being accurate leaves much to be desired.
I agree that we could use more coaches like Walsh and Dungy.
JD
Needless to say, you're feelings are extremely important to me JD.
The question would be whether I accurately referred to Dungy in this context.
Yes, you did. Congrats.
Frankly, I am surprised that you like these guys, given their overtly stated Christian views.
If Dungy's Christian faith enables him to be less than an ass, then more power to him.
I will also say his Christian faith has also led him to headline events for the Indiana Family Institute, a social con organization which opposes gay marriage, etc. Tony may be nice to his players, but he, apparently, dabbles in in crazy con politics.
In football, though, relativism rules and, since most coaches are pricks and most neglect their families (18 hour workdays?!?), Dungy's perspective on family and the proper place for work in a healthy life are very pleasing.
All I'm saying is that it's nice to see him win, but I probably won't vote for him.
Ric, you wanna make JD really mad? Mention Peyton Manning. He's Jesus around these parts.
I was glad that Manning won the Super Bowl last fall. One of the things I hate about the sports media is the way they treat great players like they're losers if their teams don't win the big championships. That crap started with Manning while he was at Tennessee and followed him to the Colts. So, it was great to see him get out from under it.
An undeserved rap if there ever was one.
JD
It was like blaming Ted Williams because the Sox couldn't pitch. He's a fine QB. Even finer, because I finally got to see Tom Brady make the "Peyton Manning face" my Patriot fan friends always talk about.
Plus, Peyton died for our sins! If you believe in him, you can get a half a billion stadium built for a millionaire who needs to fly by helicopter to downtown, because driving takes too long.
But, like the original Jesus said, "Pretentious pricks basting in inherited wealth you will always have with you."
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