When I read Michael Lewis' Blind Side and Moneyball, I missed out on some of the fun by reading during their respective off-seasons. Though I noticed this book a few months ago, I waited until the start of the NFL season to read it.
The story is about Bill Walsh, coach of the 49'ers during the 1980's. Walsh coached the 49'ers through several Superbowl victories and worked with Hall of Famers such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jerry Rice. Walsh is probably most well-known for creating the "West Coast Offense," a collection of strategies that changed passing into a more flexible and common move in the NFL.
What was most interesting in this book was not the evolution of the strategies or the history of the team, although those were covered well. Harris' character study of Walsh as a really successful, emotional, easily offended, sometimes brash, coach was the fascinating part. I had no idea that a coach would feel so humiliated or inadequate that he would cry or decide not to talk to his players for months. Harris also did a great job of describing the relationship between Bill Walsh and the 49'ers' owner, Ed Bartolo, as well as Walsh's early disappointments in not being promoted to be the Bengals' head coach prior to his career with the 49'ers. The whole characterization of Walsh made me understand Belichek's not shaking hands after the Superbowl loss a lot more.
Overall, a great read, particularly for September.
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I still remember "the catch"! I was a big 49ers fan back then. I also liked rooting for the Lakers. Any coincidence that I was 8 and they are winning championships? Of course not!! :)
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