08-17-2013, 11:36 AM
He was sick and tired of college ball. Bill Walsh I had a chip the size of the Stanford campus on his shoulder when he coached us in the 70's. He had something to prove to the NFL and college ball was his vehicle for it. Walsh II was the regime of a guy who retired on top in the NFL and really had nothing to prove and nothing more to win. He figured his role at Stanford was an opportunity to be a mentor to a group of young coaches and he made the mistake of investing emotionally in guys he liked as people and former players. Some of his picks as college coaches were failures even at the college level. Others got his imprimatur, to the regret of those who figured Walsh would be as good at mentoring as he was at running an offense.
And, he hated recruiting. When you have won Super Bowls, sucking up to high school players was distasteful. Worse, it showed. Bill Walsh finally got what he wanted at Stanford. An office on campus, around football and a chance to be an honored emeritus whose door was always open to people who wanted to drop by and talk about the higher aspects of football strategy. I remember him showing up--as sick as he was-- for Harbaugh's introduction to the press and the Stanford community. I like to think that he felt that finally he was associated with a program that would go somewhere. Just showing up was a gift of sorts from Bill Walsh.
And, he hated recruiting. When you have won Super Bowls, sucking up to high school players was distasteful. Worse, it showed. Bill Walsh finally got what he wanted at Stanford. An office on campus, around football and a chance to be an honored emeritus whose door was always open to people who wanted to drop by and talk about the higher aspects of football strategy. I remember him showing up--as sick as he was-- for Harbaugh's introduction to the press and the Stanford community. I like to think that he felt that finally he was associated with a program that would go somewhere. Just showing up was a gift of sorts from Bill Walsh.