A Michealangelo (sp?), a Leonardo. . .an artist and scientist of athletics. . .clearly saw things that no one else saw (game plans, drafting players from nowhere). . .at the height of his powers, we are talking about one of the greatest football minds ever. . .(We're in Sid Gillman, Paul Brown territory here. . .)

Bill Walsh was the chief innovator and architect of the so-called 'West Coast' offense. Though modest and self-effacing, Walsh also had a keen eye for talent. He helped draft Hall of Famers and future-Hall of Famers such as Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, Charles Haley; and picked up Steve Young from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. More importantly, Walsh engineered the San Francisco 49er's Super Bowl victories (XVI, XIX and XXIII). The greatest? Well? There can be arguments from both sides as to whether Walsh actually was. However, there is little (if any) argument as to whether he is modern football's most influential coach, as his coaching tree boasts NFL coaching luminaries (past and present): Mike Holmgren, Sam Wyche, Mike Shanahan, Brian Billick, Ray Rhodes, George Seifert, Dennis Green, Mike White, Gary Kubiak, Andy Reid and Jeff Fisher; and college coaches like Paul Hackett, Ty Willingham, and Pete Carroll. If anything, along with the great Vince Lombardi, he is the coaching standard for whom all other coaches must measure against.