49ers: Top 30 moments in San Francisco franchise history

San Francisco 49ers: Top 30 all-time moments in franchise history

SAN FRANCISCO - AUGUST 10: (L-R) Former San Francisco 49er players Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Joe Montana stand with a Super Bowl trophy during a public memorial service for former 49ers coach Bill Walsh August 10, 2007 at Monster Park in San Francisco, California. NFL Hall of Famer Bill Walsh, who was known by many as 'The Genius' for leading the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships, died last week at the age of 75 after a long battle with leukemia. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) /

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No. 7: Bill Walsh Takes Over as Head Coach

San Francisco’s rise to greatness in the 1980s can be pinned to two specific moments: drafting quarterback Joe Montana in the 1979 NFL draft and the selection of Bill Walsh as head coach earlier that year.

Walsh had previous success at Stanford University before being named head coach of the 49ers in 1979. One of his first moves was to take Montana and develop him into one of the game’s greatest quarterbacks.

In addition to his genius play-calling and West Coast schemes, Walsh’s abilities extended into the draft as Mike Wilkening of NBC Sports points out:

"Certainly, it wasn’t Montana alone that propelled the 49ers out of the NFL’s basement. The late Bill Walsh was a coach and a evaluator of the highest order. The 49ers’ eye for talent extended beyond quarterbacks. One example: In Round 10 in the ’79 draft, the 49ers took Clemson wideout Dwight Clark, a key part of the club’s first two Super Bowl winners. Owner Eddie DeBartolo’s commitment to building winning teams is unquestioned, too."

Walsh inherited a messy situation in San Francisco and, within three years, turned the 49ers into a Super Bowl champion.

A champion would eventually become a dynasty.