Bill Walsh was the architect of the San Francisco 49ers’ 1980s dynasty and the inventor of the West Coast Offense. When Walsh was hired as Niners coach and GM in 1979, the franchise had yet to win a championship since their founding in 1946. But during Walsh’s coaching tenure, the Niners became the team of the 1980s, winning three Super Bowls and 10 of 14 playoff games. Nicknamed “The Genius,” Walsh was a brilliant judge of talent who drafted Joe Montana in the third round in 1979 and Jerry Rice 16th overall in 1985, and later traded for Steve Young, who had struggled with Tampa Bay. As a Bengals offensive coach in the late 1960s and early 1970s under Paul Brown, Walsh had introduced principles that would become known as the West Coast Offense, whose goal was to control possession through short, quick, and high-percentage passes. Walsh, a superb mentor of quarterbacks who emphasized details such as timing and footwork, later perfected the West Coast system in San Francisco. He was revolutionary in his scripting of a game’s first 25 offensive plays, and assistants under Walsh who became successful head coaches included George Seifert, Mike Holmgren, and Dennis Green.