Former Eagles asst. Walsh dies at 84

Bill Walsh coached the Eagles offensive line when it was one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history.

This was a reflection of the talent Buddy Ryan had assembled and certainly not Walshs coaching ability.

He was a career coach, a real hands-on technician, and it wasnt his fault he was working with a rag-tag bunch of washed-up veterans clinging to a job for one last paycheck, overmatched rookies and high-round draft busts that Ryan had assembled.

In 1986, one year before Walsh joined Ryans coaching staff, the Eagles allowed an NFL-record 104 sacks. Not just a record, but to this day 26 more than any other NFL team has allowed.

In 1987, Walshs first year in Phillythe strike yearthe Eagles gave up 72 sacks. Thats still fourth-most in NFL history.

But then an interesting thing happened.

The 1988 team allowed 57 sacks, and the Eagles won the NFC East. In 1989, the number went down to 45. Still a lot, and still a true collection of has-beens, misfits, journeymen and castoffs.

But Walsh had done the impossible. He had taken one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history and made it respectable.

Walsh, a quiet, respected professional who won two national titles as a player and a Super Bowl ring as a coach, died Sunday at his home in Atlanta. He was 84.

Walsh was a teacher, and he took just as much pride getting mediocre linemen to play well as he did when one of his players made the Pro Bowl. Despite the high sack numbers in the early years with Ryan, Walsh was coveted enough that Rich Kotite kept him on the staff when he replaced Ryan after the 1990 season.

Walsh left the football after the 1991 season and spent the last two decades in retirement in Atlanta with Shirley, his beloved wife of 63 years -- thats right, 63 years. The couple had six children, nine grandchildren and a great grandchild.

Walshs story begins in Phillipsburg, where he was a three-sport star and nine-time letterwinner at Phillipsburg High, right across the Delaware River from Easton.

According to a 1999 article by Jim Sargent on football history web site profootballresearchers.com, Phillipsburg lost just two games during his three years on the varsityone to Easton and one to Allentown.

Walsh entered Notre Dame in the fall of 1945 and immediately won the starting center job. In his four years at South Bend, Walsh never missed a game. He played for legendary Frank Leahy, and in Walshs last three years, the Fighting Irish went 26-0-2 and won two national titles. Overall, Notre Dame was 33-2-3 with Walsh in uniform.

Walsh was the third pick in the 1949 draft and enjoyed a six-year career with the Steelers, making the Pro Bowl in 1951 and 1952 and all-pro in 1950.

Bill was a great center, and he was one of the leaders of our line, teammate George Hughes told Sargent. You were required to do a lot of things as a single-wing center, and Bill did everything well. He was also one of our best blockers, and he filled in on defense whenever they needed him.

Walsh left the NFL because he needed to get a real job, and back then football wasnt it. He wound up back in South Bend coaching at Notre Dame, the start of a 32-year coaching career.

After he left Notre Dame, Walsh coached under Hank Stram with Dallas Texans and also spent time with the Chiefs, Falcons and Oilers before joining the Eagles before the 1987 season.

Walsh told Sargent one of the highlights of his career was winning the 1962 AFL championship with the Texans.

"That was a great, great day for us, because we made about 1,700 for winning, he said. That was good money for us. We paid off our debts, and I think I bought my wife a dryer.

Walsh went on to win a Super Bowl on Strams staff with the Chiefs when they beat the Vikings in New Orleans after the 1969 season.

I coached 37 years, and I tell people, I never really worked, Walsh told Sargent in the 1999 article. You're just fortunate. You're one of the few that can say that. You're doing something that you like and you really enjoy.

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com