The Curse of Bill Walsh

[THE PISTONS]

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Not everyone in the NFL had such faith in Walsh's decisions. He was a Cincinnati Bengals assistant for seven seasons under legendary coach Paul Brown but was passed over in favor of Bill "Tiger" Johnson when Brown retired in 1975. Walsh, who subsequently resigned, said Brown "worked against my candidacy" to be a head coach anywhere in the league.

"All the way through I had opportunities, and I never knew about them," he said. "And then when I left him, he called whoever he thought was necessary to keep me out of the NFL."

Was it jealousy?

"I can't say," said Walsh, who didn't get his first NFL head-coaching job until he was 47. "He did that to other people too, it wasn't just me. But I was probably the most blatant one."

Of course, Walsh got the last laugh. His 49ers never lost to the Bengals, beating them five consecutive times, including twice in Super Bowls.

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