The Genius: How Bill Walsh Reinvented Football and Created an NFL Dynasty

by David Harris

Book Overview

The Genius is the gripping account of Bill Walsh's career and how, through tactical and organizational skill, he transformed the San Francisco Forty Niners from a fallen franchise into a football... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400066654
• ISBN13: 9781400066650
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 385 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Must read for any 49ers Fan

This book gives a lot of insight that fans never saw in the 80s/90s from bill walsh. i look at bill walsh with even more respect now after reading this book. it goes a little bit into his childhood and his upbringing. But what I find cool is the logic and thinking bill goes into during drafts and key games in his career. This is a good book for any 49ers fan. Considering the state the 49ers are in now, all we can do is dwell in the greatness of the past. For non-49er fans, you can still read this and gain insight into understanding coaching strategies and scouting strategies of the present.

Excellent!

A very well written and easy to read bio on Bill Walsh. I love sports bios and football bios in particular. I've always been interested in Bill Walsh's story since the 49'ers were one of the greatest NFL successful stories and dynasties in the 80's and early 90's. It starts with his childhood and gives the basic background, mostly relating to football all the way to retirement and beyond. Gives a good picture of the 49'ner organization beginning with the deBartolo era. Among the things I like about this book is the beginning, story and description of the "West Coast" offense as it evolved under Bill Walsh. He really was a pioneer in this and many of his assistants became head coaches all over the NFL and in the college ranks, it was really interesting to read of so many coaches and sometimes their scions that I had no idea coached with him, were assistants under him. And course a lot of the book was devoted to the story of the championships of the niners in their heyday under him. I highly recommend this book to fans of the 49'ers, Bill Walsh and football strategy. I learned a lot from it.

Good biography of Bill Walsh

The Genius is an easy-to-read biography of Bill Walsh. The author did a good job making it enjoyable and interesting, highlighting the important parts. I wish he had written more about Bill Walsh's 2nd term as a Stanford head coach (where he failed) and more technical information about the "West Coast" offense and Walsh's drafting strategies, but I understand that would reduce his audience. I definitely recommend this book for any football fan.

Great Book for 49er Fans (from a woman's point of view)

I loved this book, but I am also a huge 49er fan. I could see how a non-49er fan might not love the book, as there is a lot of play-by-play accounts (which I loved). For example, the book gives some background behind "The Catch", which I thought was very interesting. It's neat to know what was going through the players' heads during plays like that. I also learned a lot about Walsh as a person and was surprised by a lot of what I read. I was only a kid during the early '80s, although I did follow the 49ers, so it was neat to go back to those games and relive them as an adult.

Coach of the Decade (the 1980's)

Bill Walsh was the brilliant, insecure coach who won immortality with the the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980's. Mr. Harris follows his career from the Bengals of Paul Brown to Stanford (and other stops in-between) to the 49ers. He perfected an air attack that became known as the West Coast Offense and drafted the players to carry it out (Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, Jerry Rice, etc). The book is heavy on football and light on his personal life which is a pity -- he was eccentric enough that his personal life merits a deeper look. Having died a year ago of leukemia, Walsh won three Super Bowls (1982, 1985, 1989) in his tenure as coach before retiring on his own terms. Mr. Harris interviewed the coach extensively before his death and got the details right.