Former 49ers Head Coach Dick Nolan Passes Away

by wjackalope on Nov 11, 2007 10:03 PM PST

[EDITOR'S UPDATE - 10:00PM]

Denise and John York on Dick Nolan's passing:

"The San Francisco 49ers organization is mourning the loss of one of our legends with the passing of Dick Nolan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Nolan family and all those that loved and supported him.

His influence was far-reaching. He was a major part of the pantheon of great men who helped create the 49ers outstanding winning tradition, capturing three-straight NFC West titles in the 1970s.

Dick’s love of football came second only to family, and those values persevere as his son Mike continues to carry on the legacy of his father both on the field and off the field. It is only fitting that both Mike and his father were hired by the 49ers on the same day. Dick was hired on January 19, 1968 and Mike 37 years later on January 19, 2005.

The greatest honor we can give Dick is to have Mike carry on the same tradition that his father established during his tenure with the 49ers."

SF49ers.com Article

EDITOR'S UPDATE 7:30PM - So I was going to post something about Dick Nolan, but to be perfectly honest, his 49ers coaching career wrapped up before I was even born, so my only memories are when I read about Mike Nolan talking about his dad. So, for now, I'm just going to leave this thread here and let people use it to share any memories if you were around back then, or just to pay your respects.

EDITOR'S NOTE 6:55PM - Thanks to wjackalope for getting this up. I'll put together a little something tonight or tomorrow with my own thoughts. Our thoughts are certainly with Mike Nolan.

Dick Nolan passed away today. We'll see if Mike Nolan will still be coaching tomorrow or if Singletary will be in charge.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/11/sports/s181552S16.DTL&tsp=1&type =sports

RIP

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.

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Comments

moment of silence

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down. Over and over. / My Blog, For Writers

by howtheyscored on Nov 11, 2007 6:50 PM PST reply actions

mos

Bring back the classic Uni's!

by wjackalope on Nov 11, 2007 6:52 PM PST up reply actions

silence

by sfgfan on Nov 11, 2007 8:53 PM PST up reply actions

d

by groug on Nov 12, 2007 1:19 PM PST up reply actions

Tomorrow

Costas said that Mike Nolan will be on the sideline tomorrow night. We'll see how it plays out.

Niners Nation - The premier 49ers blog on the Internet!

by David Fucillo on Nov 11, 2007 7:13 PM PST reply actions

not surprised

Nolan is a pretty no nonsense guy.

Bring back the classic Uni's!

by wjackalope on Nov 11, 2007 7:15 PM PST up reply actions

Hopefully, he'll be wearing a suit

Lott's Prayer: Almost as many words as the Lord's Prayer, but the Lord wouldn't recognize any of them.

by Nosetackle Supreme on Nov 11, 2007 8:29 PM PST up reply actions

Suit

The NFL and Reebok should allow Nolan to wear the suit tomorrow (without compromising any of the remaining home games). It'd be the best way they could help Nolan pay tribute to his father.

The 49ers have had some heavy hearts this season. Walsh, Gore's mother, and Nolan's father just headline them. Didn't Jacobs have something earlier on in the season as well? I suppose you could say that no one is immune to these facts/incidents of life. I just don't recall (my memory does suck sometimes, though) the last time a football team had so many people affected by death in one season.

by sfgfan on Nov 11, 2007 8:56 PM PST up reply actions