When legendary 49ers coach Bill Walsh died Monday, we solicited e-mail responses from fans, asking for their memories and thoughts about Walsh. Here are some of those.

The Hall of Fame is not a big enough honor for Bill Walsh, he is the cornerstone of what pro football offense has become. Perhaps the Niners organization may consider naming the new stadium after him for a year or two at least. Bill, you will be missed.
– Brian, Sacramento, Calif.

My husband and I had the pleasure of meeting Coach Walsh in Honolulu after the announcement of his well-deserved Football Hall of Fame induction. We joked with him that we came to dread watching his 49ers beat our Chicago Bears! He was kind to the fans and such a gentleman. May many memories sustain his family at this sad time.
– Pam Millroy, Streamwood, Ill.

Coach Walsh left us a lot of good memories on how to coach, play and move forward in life. He was able to handpick a guy with hidden talents, putting you through hard work and when you looked back you were able to see your progression. It was flagrant that He, Coach Walsh, was a genius. Every steps, calls or fake were calculated to make you think something and most likely you were falling for it until you realized the real play, but it was too late the pass went through or the run passed by you. We will miss you very much.
– M.M., Paris

Bill Walsh had class. He respected his players and they respected him. Watching the 49ers in the 80's was simply a blast.
– Linda, Minnepolis

Bill Walsh was definitely one of the greatest coaches of all time, however sometimes he is given too much credit for offensive innovations. The west coast offense, which he is given credit as having invented, can be seen in earlier decades. The Minnesota Vikings in the 1970's, with Jerry Burns as their offensive coordinator, were the first team to run a ball control, short passing attack. Fran Tarkenton and Chuck Foreman could be seen as Montana and Roger Craig's predecessors in utilizing a short passing game. Bill Walsh was indeed a great coach, however sometimes he is given a little too much credit as "the genius" who "invented" the "west coast offense".
– Thomas, Omaha, Neb.

I am from Michigan where 49er fans are limited and started watching football when I was around 5 years old with my Dad, which was in 1976. Of course, the only teams that were televised regularly were the Lions, Bears, and Packers. These teams were pure "smash mouth" football. They would run, run, run, punt. In 1980 my Dad and I were doing our usual thing, watching the Lions. In a huff, over our normal disappointment for them he got up and walked out of the room leaving me to watch whatever I wanted. I turned the channel to watch the 49ers and was blown away at how much more fun they were to watch. These guys were actually moving the ball by throwing it...a lot! I later got up and told my Dad that the 49ers were my favorite team. He said, "You don't even know who their quarterback is". I said it's Joe Montana. Seeing the excitement in my face he said, "Ok, you can have them as your favorite team". I collected everything I could get (still do) that had SF's logo and watched them whenever they were on. My Dad would just shake his head as I would celebrate their wins over the next 10 years that I lived at home. He later told me, "Boy, you sure did pick a winner". 27 years later I am still a diehard San Francisco fan. I now have a son that is the same age I was when I started watching football and I can only hope that he will find a hero that will give him as much happiness as Coach Walsh did for me. Thanks Coach for the memories, the friendly rivalries, and your huge contribution to the great game of football. You will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Walsh family.
– David Robinson, Sparta, Mich.

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