The Genius is the gripping and definitive account of Bill Walsh’s career and how he built a football dynasty from the rubble of a fall...
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Jan 03, 2009
Spiros
rated it: 
I don't actually give a shit about football: I am pretty sure the last book I read about football was BRIAN'S SONG, back when I was in elementary school. I find that I lack the attention span for the NFL, as it is currently constituted; it lacks a narrative arc. Every year, your team plays 16 games, then tries to figure out who it can resign, who it has to cut, which superstar to overpay, which unproven free-agents to sign to fill the gaps in its roster. For the ultimate team sport, this is extr
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Dec 27, 2008
Brayden
rated it: 
I've been a 49ers fan since the 1984 championship season and so I'm predisposed to like this book, but I was happily surprised that it was actually an engaging, interesting account of the coach that brought the 49ers to prominence in the 80s and established their dynasty. Harris spent a lot of time with Walsh before his death, getting, in a sense, his death bed confessions, and so the book gives glimpses into Walsh's private life to which most biographers would have lacked access. I was surprise
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Sep 03, 2011
Mankey
rated it: 
"The Genius" is a decent enough book, but it felt a bit incomplete. The sole focus of the book is really Walsh's time with the 49'ers, everything else is glossed over. After Walsh leaves the 49'ers you go straight to the chapter detailing his funeral, interspersed with bits of his post Niners career. While the book does spend some time chronicling the things that made Walsh "different" as a football coach, it's not an X's and O's book. There's no real history on More...
Dec 10, 2009
Patdmac7
rated it:
...the entire Forty Niners' approach was based on self-respect and self-esteem ... Performance enhancement was the theme of everything we did. ... first, appropriate behavior is described. ... The behavior (skill) is then performed under the coach's watchful eye. the behavior is critiqued by the coach in very specific terms. All appropriate behavior is reinforced. If the the skill was not performed correctly, the appropriate movements were described again by the coach to the player. ... The More...
Jul 10, 2010
J
rated it:
Decent biography but one which I wish had spanned more time and gone into much greater detail. Over 350 pages or so, Harris summarizes the years Walsh spent as the 49'ers head coach/president between '79 and '88. If you're as unaware of Bill Walsh as I was, then this is a great start. Every 49'ers season in his head coaching career is retold and some major games are described at length, with insights from Walsh, the players and excerpts from the press.
But if you're more interested i More...
But if you're more interested i More...
Jan 18, 2009
Josh
rated it:
Disappointing. It seems half a Walsh biography and half a story of the 49ers dynasty, but felt like it covered neither sufficiently.
From the perspective of the 49ers dynasty, the book cuts off after Walsh's retirement following their 3rd Super Bowl win leaving the team aspect hanging.
As for Walsh, his pre-49er days feel glossed over and while the book does a good job talking about the way he coached his players, it barely scratches the surface of his famous West Coast Offens More...
From the perspective of the 49ers dynasty, the book cuts off after Walsh's retirement following their 3rd Super Bowl win leaving the team aspect hanging.
As for Walsh, his pre-49er days feel glossed over and while the book does a good job talking about the way he coached his players, it barely scratches the surface of his famous West Coast Offens More...
Mar 17, 2009
Michael
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The title of the book implies that this is a feel-good happy story of Bill Walsh and the 49ers -- but that's almost exactly what this book is NOT. The book doesn't focus on X's and O's of football plays (probably want to see the appendix of Walsh's "Building a Champion" for a few), the technical aspects of coaching (see Walsh's "Finding the Winning Edge"), or even a game-by-game recount of the 49ers games (though this book does come close on this last mark).
This More...
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Oct 28, 2008
David
rated it:
Fairly readable recap of the 49ers dynasty of the 80's from the coach's perspective. Steered clear of what I usually find to be the boring parts ("his grandparents were immigrants who doted on young.......").
I don't think the author regularly writes about sports, or at any rate he does not come across as a football expert. I didn't learn anything about the West Coast offense that I didn't already know, though narrative summaries of individual regular season games from 25 More...
I don't think the author regularly writes about sports, or at any rate he does not come across as a football expert. I didn't learn anything about the West Coast offense that I didn't already know, though narrative summaries of individual regular season games from 25 More...
Jan 07, 2009
THe second best Football book I have ever read. CHronicles Bill Walsh and how he built a football dynasty from scratch. It goes beyond football. Walsh pioneered many teaching and philosphical strategies that were unheard of in his day. He wasent afraid to defy the conventional wisdom of his day. Now 30 years later everyone tries to emulate his tactics, philosophies, class, and style.
Dec 29, 2008
{dvc}
rated it:
I would like to have seen this book go more into the technicalities and strategies that Bill Walsh used to craft his football legacy, but it's a great book if you're interested in the 49ers of the 1980's and what it takes to be the head coach, GM and president of an NFL football team.
Aug 26, 2009
Bill
rated it:
My one complaint, as a sports fan, about this book is that, when describing different football games, he would hardly ever mention the opposing players' names. A minor pet peeve, I admit. But then I kept finding myself thinking, "Now, who was the Bengals' quarterback in '85." A bit annoying.
Apr 27, 2011
Steve
rated it:
I was a little young when Bill Walsh's dynasty began, but this book brought it all back. Interesting to read about the interactions between Walsh and Eddie DeBartolo (not always on the best of terms), and insights into his coaching style.
Mar 27, 2011
Doug
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very eye opening story of a man i look up to. the author did a great job telling the story of the legendary head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
Sep 30, 2011
Logan
rated it:
Good book. Interesting portrayal of the 49ers coach as a driven genius, but yet insecure and often despondent about his abilities to coach and game-plan. Great read for any sportsphile.
Feb 02, 2009
Ben
rated it:
Not a bad read, but probably only really appealing to a Forty-Niner fan. Then it's fun to read about and relieve some of the better memories from that period (especially since most of them are from just before I became a Niners fan).
I would have actually like more on the football side. The subtitle "How Bill Walsh Reinvented Football and Created an NFL Dynasty" isn't sufficiently explored--I would have like a lot more in depth discussion and description of his ideas and More...
I would have actually like more on the football side. The subtitle "How Bill Walsh Reinvented Football and Created an NFL Dynasty" isn't sufficiently explored--I would have like a lot more in depth discussion and description of his ideas and More...
Mar 01, 2010
Tat2d
rated it:
Interesting. He truly was an innovator of the sport and a management model for generations to come.
Feb 04, 2009
Chris
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More interesting than I expected. Didn't much like reliving XIX, though.
Jun 19, 2008
Ron
rated it:
A solid history of Walsh's coaching career with the '49ers, and the components of his approach to the game--on and off the field--that enabled him to take one of the worst teams in the NFL and lead it to three Super Bowl victories.
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