Frank Gore, the 49ers Pro Bowl running back, broke a bone in his right hand Monday during the first padded practice of training camp and might not play in the preseason. Gore was injured during a non-contact ball-handling drill, and coach Mike Nolan said he would not practice with the team for the remainder of the week. Gore will be re-evaluated next Monday, and Nolan expects him to return to practice then with a cast on his hand. "He'll be ready for the latter part of preseason, but his participating in the preseason, we'll wait and see on that," Nolan said.

Bill Walsh, former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, died Monday following a battle with leukemia, a source told KCRA 3. He was 75 years old. Walsh died at about 11 a.m. at home, officials said. Walsh was head coach with the 49ers from 1979 to 1988. Prior to that, he served as an assistant coach with the Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers. A source said Walsh's family was at his side shortly before his death.

The 49ers on Sunday signed linebacker Patrick Willis, their first-round draft choice in the 2007 NFL Draft. Terms of the contract were not announced. The 11th overall selection in April's draft, Willis was selected to fortify the 49ers' young 3-4 defense. He will battle with 11-year veteran inside linebacker Derek Smith for a starting spot when training camp starts on Friday.

Safety Darnell Bing was claimed off waivers by the 49ers on Thursday, a day after being waived by the Raiders. Bing, a fourth-round pick out of USC in 2006, spent his rookie season on injured reserve with a neck injury.

A state appeals court said Tuesday that the 49ers may pat down fans before they enter Monster Park. Two season-ticket holders sued the team for invasion of privacy in 2005 after the 49ers instituted the policy that season as part of the NFL's anti-terrorism security efforts. The California Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, said that Daniel and Kathleen Sheehan waived their privacy concerns because they knew of the pat-down searches before they bought their tickets for the 2006-07 season. They sued in December 2005 after experiencing pat-down searches that season.

The 49ers secured one of their two first-round draft picks Tuesday, signing tackle Joe Staley. Terms were not disclosed, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported on its web site that the 310-pound Staley agreed to a five-year, $10 million contract with $5.6 million guaranteed. The 49ers selected the 6-5 Staley with the 28th overall pick in this year's draft. The Patriots had the pick originally but sent it to the Niners for a fourth-round pick along with a 2008 first-rounder.

The 49ers have added another hybrid-type player to their defense, reaching agreement with Mark Washington, a former Texas State-San Marcos standout who was not selected in last week's NFL supplemental draft. Washington will sign a two-year contract for league minimum base salaries of $285,000 in 2007 and $370,000 in 2008, and the 49ers hope he can develop some of the pass-rush ability that he flashed at times during his abbreviated college career.