How Bill Walsh Got Goofy at the NFL Draft

Bill Walsh took the draft seriously and he was brilliant at drafting great players. You already know that. But there was a goofy side to Bill, and this made him likeable and unexpected.

Bill was friends with an actor named Bradford Dillman who grew up in San Francisco and was a 49ers fan. So, what did Bill do based on his friendship with Bradford Dillman? He invited Dillman year after year to sit in the “war room” on draft day with Bill, the 49ers coaches and scouts. Dillman was one of them.

It was more than that. Dillman took this stuff seriously and did copious research and would show up at 3:00 a.m. in the war room with stacks of papers and notes on potential draft picks. The scouts and coaches respected him for that.

The men in the war room were so used to Dillman they would turn to him when the 49ers were on the clock and say, “Bradford, what do you think?” And he would suggest a pick and they would listen.

But there was a grand conclusion to Dillman’s participation in the draft process and this is wonderful. One year as the 49ers approached their final pick, Bill turned to Dillman and said, “Bradford, you’re up.”

And Dillman made the pick for the 49ers. He really did. My heart warms to Bill as I recall that story. I don’t know whom Dillman picked for the 49ers and, sadly, Bill isn’t around to tell me.