Walsh helped turn Montana and Steve Young into Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Young after floundering in Tampa Bay. After Walsh retired from coaching, he stayed with the 49ers in various capacities and pushed them to sign Jeff Garcia, ignored by the NFL and playing in Canada. Walsh constantly stressed his point that quarterbacks could be made as well as born. There are stories that in 1979, he preferred his Stanford protégé, Steve Dils, over Montana. Who knows? Maybe he could have turned Dils into a Hall of Famer.

Walsh's attention to detail and fast pace of practices also took hold throughout the NFL. Four head coaches have won Super Bowls who either played or worked under Walsh — Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick and Tony Dungy. Other head coaches who either worked directly for Walsh or for his disciples include: Dennis Green, Pete Carroll, Jeff Fisher, Jon Gruden, Andy Reid, Mike Shanahan, and Lovie Smith. Gruden and Shanahan also have won Super Bowls. Fisher, Reid and Smith have taken teams to Super Bowls. Carroll has won national championships at USC.

While the "West Coast" offense has many children now, some seemingly unrelated, there is little argument that Walsh is the father of the modern versions.

Said Holmgren on Monday: "I always said that he was an artist and all the rest of us were blacksmiths pounding the anvil while he was painting the picture. There is always more than one way to win games, but that was how he chose to do it."

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In the mid-80s, when the Chicago Bears threatened the 49ers' dynasty of the decade and interrupted it for one banner season in 1985, Walsh's emphasis on three-step drops and quick passes took on added importance to combat the all-out blitzing of Buddy Ryan's defenses.

Walsh's influence extended beyond the field. It was Walsh who embraced the NFL internship program for minority coaches, having decided after his late start in coaching that he would do everything he could to help other coaches further their careers.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stressed that aspect of Walsh's contribution on Monday when he said: "He helped the league on many important initiatives, from improving opportunities for minorities in coaching and the front office to our executive training and international development programs. Bill Walsh was a mentor to me and many others. He revolutionized the game with his 'West Coast Offense' and will always be remembered as one of the most influential people in NFL history."