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Gene Stallings

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Gene Stallings

Eugene Clifton Stallings, Jr. (born March 2, 1935 in Paris, Texas) is a former college and professional football coach. He is currently a member of the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System.

Early years

Stallings is a native of Paris, Texas and a resident of Powderly, an unincorporated community in Lamar County near Paris in northeastern Texas. He attended Paris High School, where he played end as a sophomore alongside future NFL pro bowler Raymond Berry. During his senior year, he was the captain of the football, baseball, and golf teams. He was recruited by Texas A&M assistant coach Raymond George and Texas A&M, where he signed to play college football.[1]

At Texas A&M, Stallings was a member of the famed Junction Boys under head coach Bear Bryant. In 1956, he helped the team finish 9–0–1 and capture its first SWC championship since 1939. He later received his bachelor of science degree from Texas A&M in 1957.

Coaching career

University of Alabama

In 1958, Stallings joined Bryant's original staff at Alabama as a defensive assistant. He was on hand for two national championship seasons, in 1961 and 1964.

Texas A&M University

Shortly after helping Alabama win the 1964 national title, Stallings was named the head coach of his alma mater, Texas A&M, at the age of 29. He coached the Aggies for seven seasons compiling a record of 27-45-1. Under his tenure, A&M won the Southwest Conference in 1967--Stallings' only winning season.

Dallas Cowboys

In 1972, Stallings joined the staff of the Dallas Cowboys as Tom Landry's secondary coach. He remained with the Cowboys for 14 seasons, and helped them win Super Bowl XII.

St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals

In 1986, Stallings was named the head coach of the St. Louis Football Cardinals. In parts of four seasons, Stallings compiled a 23-34-1 record with the Cardinals and was the head coach during the franchise's move to Arizona. He came closest to a winning season during the Cardinals' first two years in Arizona, in 1988 and 1989. Both times, the Cardinals were doomed by late-season collapses.

With five games remaining in the 1989 season, Stallings announced that he would resign at the end of the season. Instead, general manager Larry Wilson ordered Stallings to leave immediately and named running backs coach Hank Kuhlmann as his temporary replacement.

University of Alabama

Stallings returned to Alabama as head coach in 1990. His first team finished with a 7-5 record,[2] including a 34-7 loss to the University of Louisville in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. Following Harold Drew, Stallings became only the second Alabama head coach since the rivalry's renewal in 1948 to defeat Auburn in his first attempt (Dennis Franchione would later become the third).[3]

In 1991, Stallings finished the season with an 11-1[2] record, including a 30-25[4] victory over the University of Colorado in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl.

In 1992, his experienced defensive unit led the team to an undefeated regular season, and a berth in the first SEC Championship Game. Alabama defeated the University of Florida 28-21 in this Championship Game, giving Alabama its 20th SEC title.[2] Following a 34-13 victory over the heavily favored University of Miami in the 1993 Sugar Bowl, Stallings' 1992 team won the first Bowl Coalition National Championship.[5]

Stallings won a second straight SEC West Division title in 1993, leading Alabama to a 9-3-1 record. However, the Tide lost to Florida in the SEC Championship Game.

In 1994, Stallings' team finished the regular season with a record of 11-0, an 8-0 record in the SEC and its third straight SEC West Division title. However, they lost the SEC title game for the second year in a row to Florida.[5] Stallings' Alabama team finished the 1994 season with a 12-1 record, including a 24-17 Citrus Bowl victory over Ohio State University.[2]

After an investigation that ran from late 1993 to August 1995, the NCAA found Alabama guilty of four major rules violations during the 1993 season. Stallings was implicated (along with athletic director Hootie Ingram) in falsifying the eligibility of Alabama player Antonio Langham during the that season. Langham had signed with a sports agent and applied to enter the NFL draft following the January 1993 Sugar Bowl, but was not subsequently declared ineligible per NCAA rules. As a result, Alabama's football program was placed on three years probation, and docked a total of 30 scholarships from 1995 to 1998. Alabama was also forced to forfeit eight wins and one tie from its 9-3-1 1993 season in which Langham participated (two other games, against LSU and Auburn, were losses on the field), as well as the 1993 SEC West Division title. This resulted in an official 1-12 record for that season. The Crimson Tide were also barred from postseason competition (including the SEC championship and bowl games) during the 1995 season.[6] The 1995 season turned out to be the only time from 1992 to 1996 that Stallings didn't lead the Crimson Tide to the SEC Championship game.

In 1996, Stallings' team won 10 games and earned a berth in the SEC Championship Game, where they lost to Florida. Stallings announced on November 23, 1996 that he would resign at the end of the season. He completed his tenure as the coach at the University of Alabama with a 17-14 win over the University of Michigan in the Outback Bowl on January 1, 1997.[2]

Stallings compiled an official record at Alabama of 62-25 (70-16-1 if the 1993 forfeits are disregarded).[2]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Texas A&M Aggies (Southwest Conference) (1965–1971)
1965 Texas A&M 3–7 1–6 7th
1966 Texas A&M 4–5–1 4–3 4th
1967 Texas A&M 7–4 6–1 1st W Cotton Bowl Classic
1968 Texas A&M 3–7 2–5 6th
1969 Texas A&M 3–7 2–5 6th
1970 Texas A&M 2–7 0–7 8th
1971 Texas A&M 5–6 4–3 4th
Texas A&M: 27–45–1 19–30
Alabama Crimson Tide (Southeastern Conference) (1990–1996)
1990 Alabama 7–5 5–2 3rd L Fiesta Bowl – –
1991 Alabama 11–1 6–1 2nd W Blockbuster Bowl 5 5
1992 Alabama 13–0 8–0 1st (West) W Sugar Bowl 1 1
1993 Alabama 1–12* 0–8* 6th (West)* W Gator Bowl 13 14
1994 Alabama 12–1 8–0 1st (West) W Citrus Bowl 4 5
1995 ‡Alabama 8–3 5–3 2nd (West) — — 21
1996 Alabama 10–3 6–2 T-1st (West) W Outback Bowl 11 11
Alabama: 62–25* 38-16*
Total: 89–70–1*
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

*Alabama finished the 1993 season with a 9-3-1 overall record (5-2-1 conference) and won the Western division of the SEC, but was later forced to forfeit that title as well as all regular season wins (8) and ties (1) from that year.
Stallings's on-the-field record was therefore 70-16-1 with Alabama (43-12-1 conference) and 97-61-2 overall.
‡ The 1995 Alabama team was on probation and ineligible to win the conference title, to be selected to a bowl, or to be selected in the coaches poll.

Motivational leader

Stallings serves on many boards, including President George W. Bush’s Commission on Intellectual Disability, and he was formerly a member of the board of Abilene Christian University. Other boards include Tandy Corporation, People’s National Bank of Paris, Paris Regional Medical Center, Disability Resources, the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Association, the Great Southern Wood Corporation, and the Boys and Girls Club of Paris, Texas.

Stallings was appointed to the Texas A&M Board of Regents by Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2005. He serves on the Committee on Audit and the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs. Stallings is chair of the Policy Review Committee and is a member of the Special Committee on Educational Access. His term expires on February 1, 2011.

John Mark Stallings

Stallings co-wrote the book Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son with AP journalist Sally Cook (ISBN 0316811963), which described his love for his son, John Mark Stallings, who was born with Down syndrome. John Mark, also known as "Johnny," was a dedicated follower of his father's career, a longtime Crimson Tide fan, and a tour guide in the Crimson Tide facilities. John Mark died on August 2, 2008 due to a congenital heart condition.[7][8][9] Two facilities at the University of Alabama were named for the younger Stallings, the Stallings Center that serves as home to the RISE Center for young children with disabilities, in 1994, and the equipment room in the UA football building in 2005.[9]

Awards

Stallings has received many awards including National Coach of the Year and was the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year two times. In 2000, Coach Stallings was awarded Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University. He was awarded the Legends Award from the All Sports Association in Dallas in 2001. Mr. Stallings has also received many humanitarian awards, including the Arthritis Humanitarian Award of Alabama, National Boys Club Alumni of the Year, Dallas Father of the Year, Humanitarian Award of the Lion’s Club of Alabama, and Paris Boys Club Wall of Honor.

Stallings has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Texas A&M Hall of Fame, Gator Bowl Hall of Fame and Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. He also received an honorary doctoral degree from Harding University.

References

  1. ^ Schoor, Gene (1994). The Fightin' Texas Aggies: 100 Years of A&M Football. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 121.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "2006 Alabama Football Media Guide, Published by Ebsco Industries, Birmingham, AL, Pages 172 and 200" (PDF). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateaccess= ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "2006 University of Alabama Football Media Guide" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Alabama Football Game Notes: Auburn" (html). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateaccess= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "The Official Site of the University of Alabama Athletics" (html). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateaccess= ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b "ial 2006 Divisions I-A and I-AA Football Records Book, National Poll Champions, Page 79" (PDF). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateaccess= ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "Official 2006 Divisions I-A and I-AA Football Records Book" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "NCAA Public Report on Infractions at Alabama" (PDF). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateaccess= ignored (help)
  7. ^ "Coach Gene Stallings son dies at age 46".
  8. ^ "John Mark Stallings, the son of former Alabama football coach Gene Stallings, dies".
  9. ^ a b Tim Gayle. "John Mark Stallings dies at age 46," Montgomery Advertiser, August 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Texas A&M Head Coach
1965–1971 		Succeeded by
Preceded by St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals Head Coach
1986–1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by University of Alabama Head Football Coach
1990–1996 		Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Walter Camp Coach of the Year
1992 		Succeeded by
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