Bill Walsh

San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh is hoisted on the shoulders of his team after they defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX Jan. 20, 1985, at Stanford Stadium, in Palo Alto, Calif. Walsh, the groundbreaking football coach who won three Super Bowls and perfected the West Coast offense during a Hall of Fame career with the San Francisco 49ers, died Monday, July 30, 2007. He was 75.

Former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh poses with a bust of himself after being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday, July 31, 1993, in Canton, Ohio. Walsh died at his Bay Area home Monday, July 30, 2007, following a long battle with leukemia, according to Stanford University.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and head coach Bill Walsh smile for photographers during the closing moments of their playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings Jan. 4, 1989, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Walsh left an indelible mark, building the once-woebegone 49ers into the most successful team of the 1980s with his innovative offensive strategies and teaching techniques.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, right, stands with former 49ers coach Bill Walsh during a halftime ceremony honoring Young's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in San Francisco Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005. Walsh didn't become an NFL head coach until he was 47, and he spent just 10 seasons on the San Francisco sideline but amassed an impressive 102-63-1 record. He was twice named coach of the year.

Former Stanford and Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, left, and former Stanford and San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh, right, watch a ceremony at halftime of the Stanford and Notre Dame game before the start of construction for the new Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., in this Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005 photo.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno, right, and Bill Walsh, the coach at Stanford at the time, talk before their teams met in the Blockbuster Bowl in Miami, Fla., in this Jan. 2, 1993 photo.

Then-Stanford coach Bill Walsh holds high the Bluebonnet Bowl trophy as the Cardinal beat the Georgia Bulldogs at the Houston Astrodome, in this Jan. 1, 1978 photo.

Former Stanford and San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh waves in Stanford, Calif., Nov. 26, 2005. Few men did more to shape the look of football in the 21st century. His cerebral nature and often-brilliant stratagems earned him the nickname "The Genius" well before his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.