Stanford Hires Walsh as Football Coach

STANFORD, Calif.--Bill Walsh became the coach at Stanford University yesterday, declining a chance to rejoin the San Francisco 49ers to return to the scene of his happiest coaching days.

Walsh, 60, wound up at Stanford less than a week after all but signing a contract with the 49ers to become a full-time consultant for the NFL team.

Walsh coached two seasons at Stanford before taking over the 49ers in 1979, a team he led to three Super Bowl championships in 10 seasons.

"We have work that we do and I feel that I am still at my best relating to people, teaching the game of football to players and the coaches," Walsh said yesterday at Stanford. "I thoroughly enjoy the development of a young athlete and then putting the components together in an equation and then competing."

Walsh replaced Dennis Green, who left Stanford after three seasons to become the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and left the 49ers without someone who was expected to play a key role on their player personnel staff.

49ers owner Ed DeBartolo, team President Carmen Policy and Coach George Seifert attended the news conference introducing Walsh at Stanford, as did running back Roger Craig of the Los Angeles Raiders who formerly played for the 49ers.

"I had a gut feeling that he was going to come back [to Stanford]," said DeBartolo. "Every time I would talk to Bill he would say how much he likes to be around kids. He always talked about his days at Stanford.

"He would have been a big help with our offensive coordinator, but I'll think we'll be all right."

Choosing Stanford over the 49ers was by no means easy for Walsh.

"It was very difficult," Walsh said. "I love the 49ers. I love those men. I care very much for the players, Jerry Rice and Joe Montana, everyone of them, but there is a time and a place for those things."

After spending three seasons as a television analyst for NBC, Walsh took over a Stanford team that finished its 1991 season with an 8-4 record after losing 18-17 to Georgia Tech in the Aloha Bowl. The Cardinal tied for second in the Pac-10 with a 6-2 mark.

Walsh said he will tackle every aspect of the job as the Cardinal's head football coach, even overseeing recruiting, a chore he did not enjoy in his first stint at Stanford. He began calling recruits yesterday morning before his introduction.

"The best you are going to get out of is hopefully an adequate replacement for Denny Green," Walsh said.

"Don't expect better. You're not going to get it. Denny has done a marvelous job bringing this program from mediocrity to national prominence. You've got a replacement for Denny Green who is going to do everything he can to sustain the program and hopefully we can take it another level higher," Walsh said.

Walsh also introduced Terry Shea, formerly the head coach at San Jose State, as his assistant coach and offensive coordinator. The rest of the staff will be put together as quickly as possible.

Athletic Director Ted Leland and Walsh spoke on the phone on Saturday, met Monday night, Tuesday and Wednesday before Walsh decided to accept the post.

There was no haggling over salary, Walsh said, because it is far less than he could have made with the 49ers or at NBC. Walsh will reportedly make $350,000 a year.

"I'm still a little flabbergasted that we have a guy of his stature," Leland said. "We have a five-year contract, but we hope that Bill will have so much fun here that he will finish his career at Stanford."

It was while working for NBC, working on several telecasts of college football games involving Notre Dame, that the atmosphere surrounding college football grew on Walsh.

"The young guys we met at each one of these schools, interviewing them. We met some magnificent young people," Walsh said.