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Bill Walsh will be missed

By Skin Patrol

Coaches of his caliber are a rare commodity, and it thus saddens me to offer my condolences to his family; Bill Walsh passed away yesterday. I also extend my condolences to 49ers fans who lost a great coach as well as a great representative of their team, the NFL.

The Redskins issued a statement which can be found at the Official Site:

In a statement released by the club, Snyder said: "Bill Walsh was one of the first people I met after buying the Redskins in 1999. We spent time together at league events and he was generous with his guidance for a rookie owner. His legacy is on display every time an NFL team takes the field. My prayers are with his family at this sad time."
Coach Gibbs and Vinny Cerrato also spoke on Walsh's passing:
Said Gibbs: "I was saddened to hear the news of Bill Walsh's passing today. My son [Coy Gibbs] had the opportunity to play under him at Stanford [from 1992-94]. His contributions to the NFL are well documented and his West Coast Offense remains prevalent throughout the league today.

"He was truly a pioneer for the game. He was a tremendous competitor and innovator and he leaves a legacy through all those who had the opportunity to learn from him. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Walsh family."...

"He was a great innovator of football," Cerrato said of Walsh. "What he did for the San Francisco 49ers was spectacular. He had a tough battle with leukemia, and knowing Bill, he fought, and fought, and fought."

Asked about Walsh's legacy, Cerrato replied: "It's the West Coast offense, and developing Joe Montana and Steve Young, among others. He won a lot of games and took a program in the 49ers that was down in the dumps and turned them into a Super Bowl team."

Redskins 360, Gibbs and Walsh

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