San Francisco 49ers: 15 most beloved fan favorites in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
. HC. (1979-88). Bill Walsh. 11. player. 42
Most beloved San Francisco 49ers in franchise history: 11. Bill Walsh
There are those who’d argue Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh should be higher on this list. After all, he turned the franchise around from a perennial laughingstock into the team of the 1980s. He was the innovative genius responsible for the creation and development of the West Coast offense.
Walsh discovered quarterback Joe Montana and wide receiver Dwight Clark, too, when nearly every other scout and team turned the other way.
Fans rarely go to games to watch head coaches, so that’s the reason he’s a little lower on this list than others. But even being mentioned among the 49ers’ most beloved is noteworthy, so let’s not take anything away from Walsh.
Walsh isn’t just beloved in Niners circles either. All you need to do is watch the below video to see how Walsh influenced so many of the coaches from his time through today:
Yeah, pretty special.
Yet what might be even more striking was the amount of doubt and difficulty Walsh had to overcome en route to being arguably the most influential and successful head coach of his time. Those are life lessons any fan can relate to, and it serves to make Walsh one of the most iconic persons in league history.