Bill Walsh

Considered by many to be one of the greatest coaches in NFL history; Bill Walsh's achievements and contributions to the game of football are endless.

As the pioneer of the "west coast" offense Walsh took over a losing San Francisco 49er team in 1979 and built into one of the most successful NFL franchises in history. Under his direction the 49er's won three Super Bowl titles (1981, 1984 & 1988), made seven NFC post season appearances and claimed six NFC West division titles. He was twice named NFL Coach of the Year (1981 & 1984) and later named NFL Coach of the Decade for the 1980's.

During his storied career in the NFL Walsh coached four MVP quarterbacks - Ken Anderson, Dan Fouts, Joe Montana and Steve Young. But his impact on the coaching industry is also apparent by the rise of former assistants, players and people, who have come under his influence, including Denny Green, Mike Homgren, Mike Shanahan, Ray Rhodes, Jeff Fisher, Sam Wyche, George

Seifert, Jon Gruden, Paul Hackett, Brian Billick and Bill McPherson.

In 1987, Walsh created the Minority Coaching Fellowship program that has produced, among others, Tyrone Willingham, former Stanford and current University of Washington head coach, and Marvin Lewis, current Cincinnati Bengal's head coach. The NFL later adopted this Fellowship program as a league wide program.

Walsh is one of a handful of coaches named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he was enshrined in 1993. He was recently named the top football coach of the past 25 years by Sports Illustrated and the offensive coordinator of the All-Time NFL Team, which selected Vince Lombardi as the head coach.

Currently Walsh serves as Athletic Director at Stanford University and is also a lecturer in the Graduate School of Business. He is the author of two books, "Finding the Winning Edge" and "Building a Champion" and recently co-authored a third, "The Business of Sports."