Top > Sport > 2006 > November > 2006-11-19

Ex-49ers Coach, Bill Walsh, Battling Leukemia

Sportsmen and women, at the height of their career, certainly don?t consider themselves likely candidates for the life-threatening disease, leukemia. But, however fit one is, there is still the chance that cancer will make an appearance ? as has been the case with former San Francisco 49ers head coach, Bill Walsh. Walsh recently advised the media that he has been battling leukemia for several years now and he is optimistic that the worst is behind him.

Bill Walsh has had an illustrious and extremely successful football career. He posted a regular 102-63-1 season mark in his decade as head coach of the 49ers. He brought San Francisco to Super Bowl victory three times in the 1980?s - 1981, 1984 and 1988. Walsh was also named NFL Coach of the Year (1981) and NFC Coach of the Year (1984), although his biggest honor was undoubtedly being inaugurated into the US Hall of Fame. Walsh also served as head coach at Stanford for five seasons.

In an interview to the media, Bill Walsh said that he already starting having symptoms of the leukemia in 2004, including anemia. Since he was diagnosed with the disease, he has had numerous transfusions, although he says he has now stopped having them. Walsh is optimistic about his prognosis and says that he is obeying doctor?s orders on his way to recovery. He has even had time to appear in the Coors Light advertisement in the brewing company?s current marketing campaign.