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1977-79: Stanford University assistant

 

After two seasons as the head coach at Cornell University, George Seifert returned to Stanford in 1977 as defensive backs coach -- joining first-year head coach Bill Walsh's staff.

Highly respected as a teacher, football technician and recruiter, Seifert continued working his magic. Stanford's pass defense was ranked second in the Pacific 10 in 1978 and '79, marking a total of six times Seifert had coached a league unit to a top-three spot in pass defense:

1970 Oregon -- 1st in Pac-8
1971 Oregon -- 3rd in Pac-8
1972 Stanford -- 1st in Pac-8
1973 Stanford -- 1st in Pac-8
1978 Stanford -- 2nd in Pac-10
1979 Stanford -- 2nd in Pac-10

During this second tour of duty with Stanford, Seifert continued to prove his value as an assistant, but he also learned valuable lessons from Walsh about being a head coach.

Walsh's focus was always on football. "He had the ability to just do the things you had to do to win games. That's probably what I learned from him more than any other thing," Seifert has said. "He didn't get involved in administrative things. He put together a staff, a team and a system that would go out and win."

In 1979, Walsh left Stanford and took that expertise to the San Francisco49ers.

"It was one of the most crushing moments in my life," Seifert said. "I stayed at Stanford for a year and I was miserable the whole time. It was then that I decided I would do everything I could to get into professional football."

Seifert remained as defensive backs coach during Rod Dowhower's lone year as Stanford's head coach. In 1980, both men went to the NFL: Dowhower to the Broncos, Seifert rejoining Walsh with the 49ers.

Next stop:
San Francisco 49ers
defensive assistant

  

Stanford records
(George Seifert,
defensive backs coach)

1977: 9-3

L at Colorado    27-21
W at Tulane      21-17
W Illinois       37-24
W Oregon         20-10
W UCLA           32-28
L at Washington  45-21
W Washington St. 31-29
W at Oregon St.  26-7
L at USC         49-0
W San Jose State 31-26
W California     21-3
W LSU (Sun Bowl) 24-14
1978: 8-4
L Oklahoma       35-29
W San Jose State 38-9
W at Illinois    35-10
W Tulane         17-14
L at UCLA        27-26
L Washington     34-31
W at Wash. State 43-27
W Oregon State   24-6
L USC            13-7
W at Arizona St. 21-14
W at California  30-10
W Georgia        25-22
 (Bluebonnet Bowl)
1979: 5-5-1
L at Tulane      33-10
L Army           17-13
W Boston College 33-14
W UCLA           27-24
T at USC         21-21
W at Arizona     30-10
L at Oregon St.  33-31
W Arizona State  28-21
L Oregon         16-7
L California     21-14

 

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