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 Stallings in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-03-02)March 2, 1935 (age 90) Paris, Texas, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Paris |
| College | Texas A&M (1953–1956) |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| As head coach: Championships:
Awards:
As assistant coach:
As player:
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Career | 97–61–2* (college) 23–34–1 (NFL) |
Coaching profile atPro Football Reference  | |
Eugene Clifton Stallings Jr. (born March 2, 1935) is an American formerfootball player and coach. He playedcollege football atTexas A&M University (1954–1956), where he was one of the "Junction Boys", and later served as the head coach at his alma mater from 1965 to 1971. Stallings was also the head coach of theSt. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals of theNational Football League (NFL) (1986–1989) and at theUniversity of Alabama (1990–1996). Stallings'1992 Alabama team completed a 13–0 season with a win in theSugar Bowl overMiami and was named the consensusnational champion. Stallings was also a member of theBoard of Regents of theTexas A&M University System. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a coach on July 16, 2011.
Stallings was born inParis, Texas. He attendedParis High School, where he playedend as a sophomore alongside futureNational Football League (NFL) star,Raymond Berry. During his junior and senior year, Stallings was the captain of the football,basketball, andgolf teams. He was recruited toTexas A&M University to playcollege football by then-head coachRaymond George.[1]
At Texas A&M, Stallings was a member of the famedJunction Boys under head coachBear Bryant. In 1956, he helped the team finish 9–0–1 and capture its firstSouthwest Conference championship since 1939. Stallings received hisBachelor of Physical Education degree from Texas A&M in 1957.
In 1957, Stallings was the freshman coach for his alma mater, Texas A&M.[2]
In 1958, Stallings rejoined Bear Bryant at theUniversity of Alabama, this time as the ends coach.[3] He was on hand for two ofAlabama'snational championship seasons:1961 and1964. He was promoted to defensivesecondary coach in 1961.[4] The following year he was nameddefensive coordinator,[5] and in 1964 he added the title of assistant head coach.
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.[2][6][7] He coached theAggies for seven seasons compiling a record of 27–45–1.[8] During his tenure, the Aggies won theSouthwest Conference in 1967,[9] Stallings' only winning season at A&M.[8] At the end of that season Stallings led Texas A&M to a victory over Alabama and mentorBear Bryant in the Cotton Bowl, a victory where Bryant carried Stallings off the field.[citation needed] With the university only recently going co-ed, its military focus and the ongoingwar in Vietnam, A&M struggled to recruit against itsSouthwest Conference rivals.[citation needed] He was fired at A&M following the 1971 season.[10]
In 1972, Stallings joined the staff of theDallas Cowboys asTom Landry's secondary coach.[11][12] He remained with the Cowboys for 14 seasons and helped them winSuper Bowl XII.
In 1986, Stallings was named the head coach of theSt. Louis Cardinals.[13][14] In four seasons, Stallings compiled a 23–34–1 record with the Cardinals and was the head coach during the franchise's move toArizona. In1987, the franchise's final season in St. Louis, the Cardinals rallied from a 28–3 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to defeat theTampa Bay Buccaneers, 31–28, the largest fourth quarter comeback in NFL history.[15] The Cardinals used the comeback to springboard themselves into position to clinch a playoff berth on the final Sunday of the season, but fell short with a 21–16 loss atDallas.
The Cardinals' relocation from St. Louis to Arizona was approved on March 15, 1988.[16]
In1988, the Cardinals pulled off another miracle comeback, rallying from a 23–0 deficit against the eventualSuper Bowl championSan Francisco 49ers for a 24–23 victory.[17] Phoenix was 7–4 and in first place in theNFC East but collapsed, losing their final five games, including two to the division championPhiladelphia Eagles.[18]
The1989 season started with road victories at Detroit and Seattle, but injuries derailed any playoff hopes. With five games remaining in the 1989 season, Stallings announced that he would resign at the end of the season.[19] Believing Stallings would be a distraction, general managerLarry Wilson ordered Stallings to leave immediately and named assistantHank Kuhlmann as interim coach for the rest of the season.[20] The Cardinals lost all five games under Kuhlmann and finished 5–11, the first of four consecutive seasons in which the team would lose at least 11 games.[21]
Stallings returned to Alabama as head coach in 1990.His first team finished with a 7–5 record,[22] including a 34–7 loss toLouisville in the1991 Fiesta Bowl. FollowingHarold Drew, Stallings became only the second Alabama head coach since the renewal of theIron Bowl in 1948 to defeatAuburn in his first attempt;Dennis Franchione became the third in 2001.[23] Stallings'1991 squad finished the season with an 11–1[22] record, including a 30–25[24] victory overColorado in the1991 Blockbuster Bowl.
In 1992, Stallings' experienced defensive unit ledthe team to an undefeated regular season and a berth in thefirst SEC Championship Game where Alabama defeatedFlorida, 28–21, giving Alabama its 20thSoutheastern Conference (SEC) title, and its first outright conference title since 1979.[22] Following a 34–13 victory over heavily favoredMiami in the1993 Sugar Bowl to cap a perfect 13–0 season and the firstBowl Coalition national championship—their first national title since 1979.[25]
Stallings'1993 Alabama squad won a second straight SEC West Division title, compiling a 9–3–1 record. However, the Tide lost toFlorida in theSEC Championship Game. In 1994,Stallings' team finished the regular season with a record of 11–0, an 8–0 record in the SEC, and captured its third straight SEC West Division title. However, they lost theSEC title game for the second year in a row toFlorida.[25] Alabama finished the 1994 season with a 12–1 record, including a 24–17 victory overOhio State in theCitrus Bowl.[22]
After an investigation that ran from late 1993 to August 1995, theNCAA found Alabama guilty of four major rules violations during the 1993 season. Stallings was implicated, along with athletic directorHootie Ingram, in falsifying the eligibility of AlabamacornerbackAntonio Langham during that season. Langham had signed with a sports agent and applied to enter theNFL draft following the 1993 Sugar Bowl, but was not subsequently declared ineligible per NCAA rules. Alabama officials only declared him ineligible the week before the 1993 SEC title game. 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, resulting in an official record of 1–12. The Crimson Tide were also barred from postseason competition, including theSEC Championship Game andbowl games, during the1995 season.[26]
Alabama went 8–3 in 1995, the only season between 1992 and 1996 that Stallings didn't win the SEC West (Auburn finished first in the division in 1993 but was serving a post-season ban). Arkansas won the West title in 1995, with a last second touchdown against the Tide to claim their first ever victory over Alabama. However, the Tide would have been ineligible for the SEC Championship Game or a bowl game regardless as a result of the NCAA sanctions.
In 1996,Stallings' team won ten games and earned a berth in theSEC Championship Game, where they lost again toFlorida, which eventually won the national title that season. Stallings announced on November 23, 1996, that he would resign at the end of the season. He completed his tenure at Alabama with a 17–14 win overMichigan in the1997 Outback Bowl on January 1, 1997.[22] Stallings compiled an official record at Alabama of 62–25 .[22] The lost scholarships as a result of the 1995 infractions case, however, would hobble the Tide for several years to come; they would win eight or more games only three times between Stallings' departure andNick Saban's arrival in 2007, and would also suffer four of its only five losing seasons since Bryant's arrival.[27]
Stallings married Ruth Ann Jack after his graduation from Texas A&M. The couple went on to have five children: Anna Lee, Laurie, John Mark, Jackie, and Martha Kate.[28][29][30][31] As a result of John Mark being born withDown syndrome, and a congenital heart defect, Stallings became heavily involved in projects promoting better education and quality of life for the developmentally disabled;[32] the two appeared in a 1987 NFL public service announcement for theUnited Way.[31][33] Following Stallings's retirement, he moved back to the Paris area with his wife and son to establish Hike-A-Way Ranch, a working cattle ranch inPowderly, Texas.[28][34]
Stallings serves on many boards, including formerly on PresidentGeorge W. Bush's Commission on Intellectual Disability. In addition, Stallings served on the board ofAbilene Christian University. Other boards includeTandy Corporation, People's National Bank of Paris, Paris Regional Medical Center, Disability Resources, theTexas Rangers Law Enforcement Association, the Great Southern Wood Corporation, and theBoys and Girls Club of Paris, Texas.
Stallings was appointed to the Texas A&M Board of Regents by Texas GovernorRick Perry in 2005. He served on the Committee on Audit and the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs. Stallings was chair of the Policy Review Committee and a member of the Special Committee on Educational Access. His term expired on February 1, 2011.
Stallings co-wrote the bookAnother Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son (ISBN 0-316-81196-3) withAP journalist Sally Cook, which described his and his family's relationship with only son John Mark Stallings. 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;[29][30][35] in 2009, an updated paperback edition of the book was published with added material on the final years of John Mark's life.[36] 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 University of Alabama football building in 2005.[35] Most recently,Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, named its new football and soccer field after John Mark Stallings on October 8, 2010,[37] an honor that had been planned prior to his death two years before:
The sports world lost a legend on Aug. 2 in Paris, Texas.
He's the son of a Junction Boy, which makes him a grandson of Bear Bryant. At the same time, he'sboth a son of Aggieland and a son of Alabama.
Gene Stallings' son, John Mark "Johnny" Stallings, touched a lot of lives in his 46 years, meltingeven the hardest hearts of the toughest athletes to play for Gene in college at Texas A&M, Alabama or in the NFL with the Cowboys and Cardinals.
And Johnny never strapped on the pads for a single play. ... Johnny made his difference by showing everyone he met, and even those he didn't, that someone with Down syndrome or a disability could make a difference in this world. ... With help from four sisters, the Stallings family raised a man who has become a legend in Alabama for his smile and his positive outlook on life. ...
The outpouring of love given to the Stallings family over the past week is a direct reflection of the love one man had for life and everyone he met. We should all be so lucky to live like that.[38]
Stallings received a number of national coaching awards in 1992 and was theSEC Coach of the Year twice, in 1992 and 1994. In 2000, Stallings was awarded Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University. He was awarded the Legends Award from the All Sports Association inDallas in 2001. 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 theCollege Football Hall of Fame, 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 fromHarding University.
Gene Stallings' involvement in the disability community, has also been strong. His son, John Mark was born with Trisomy 21, Down syndrome, and Gene Stallings has a school for children with disabilities named after him on the University of Alabama Campus, for which he hosts a charity golf tournament every year. The playground at the school is called the John Mark Stallings Playground.
| 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 | T–7th | |||||
| 1966 | Texas A&M | 4–5–1 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1967 | Texas A&M | 7–4 | 6–1 | 1st | WCotton | ||||
| 1968 | Texas A&M | 3–7 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1969 | Texas A&M | 3–7 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1970 | Texas A&M | 2–9 | 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 | T–3rd | LFiesta | ||||
| 1991 | Alabama | 11–1 | 6–1 | 2nd | WBlockbuster | 5 | 5 | ||
| 1992 | Alabama | 13–0 | 8–0 | 1st(West) | WSugar† | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1993 | Alabama | 9–3–1* | 5–2–1* | 2nd(West)* | WGator† | 13 | 14 | ||
| 1994 | Alabama | 12–1 | 8–0 | 1st(West) | WFlorida Citrus | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1995 | Alabama‡ | 8–3 | 5–3 | T–2nd(West) | 21 | ||||
| 1996 | Alabama | 10–3 | 6–2 | T–1st(West) | WOutback | 11 | 11 | ||
| Alabama: | 70–16–1 | 43–13–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 97–61–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
*Alabama forfeited eight wins and one tie, afterAntonio Langham was ruled ineligible. Unofficial record for 1993 was 9–3–1.
‡ 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.
& Unofficial Record at Alabama is 70-16-1 (43-11-1 SEC) and unofficial overall record is 97–61–2.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| SLC | 1986 | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 5th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC | 1987 | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 | 3rd in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| PHO | 1988 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| PHO | 1989 | 5 | 6 | 0 | .438 | 4th in NFC East | – | – | – | – |
| SLC/PHO Total | 23 | 34 | 1 | .405 | – | – | – | |||
| Total | 23 | 34 | 1 | .405 | ||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |