Gene Stallings facts for kids
Stallings in 2009
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| Personal information | |
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| Born: | March 2, 1935 Paris, Texas, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Paris |
| College: | Texas A&M (1953–1956) |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| As head coach:
Championships:
Awards:
As assistant coach:
As player:
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| Head coaching record | |
| Career: | 97–61–2* (college) 23–34–1 (NFL) |
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Eugene Clifton Stallings Jr. (born March 2, 1935) is a famous former American football player and coach. He played college football at Texas A&M University from 1954 to 1956. He was one of the "Junction Boys" there. Later, he became the head coach at Texas A&M from 1965 to 1971.
Stallings also coached the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 to 1989. He then coached the University of Alabama team from 1990 to 1996. His 1992 Alabama team had a perfect 13–0 season. They won the Sugar Bowl against Miami. This team was named the national champion. Gene Stallings was also part of the Board of Regents for the Texas A&M University System. He was added to the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach on July 16, 2011.
Contents
Early Life and College Football
Growing Up in Texas
Gene Stallings was born in Paris, Texas. He went to Paris High School. There, he played as an end on the football team. A future NFL star, Raymond Berry, was his teammate. In his junior and senior years, Gene was captain of the football, basketball, and golf teams. He was recruited to play college football at Texas A&M University.
Playing for the Junction Boys
At Texas A&M, Stallings was part of the famous "Junction Boys" team. Their coach was Bear Bryant. In 1956, he helped his team finish with a 9–0–1 record. They won their first Southwest Conference championship since 1939. Gene Stallings earned his degree in Physical Education from Texas A&M in 1957.
Coaching Journey
Starting as an Assistant Coach
In 1957, Stallings began his coaching career. He was the freshman coach at his old school, Texas A&M. In 1958, Stallings joined Coach Bear Bryant again. This time, he was the ends coach at the University of Alabama. He was part of two Alabama teams that won national championships. These were in 1961 and 1964. He became the secondary coach in 1961. The next year, he was named defensive coordinator. In 1964, he also became the assistant head coach.
Leading Texas A&M
After helping Alabama win the 1964 national title, Stallings became the head coach at Texas A&M. He was only 29 years old. He coached the Aggies for seven seasons. His record there was 27 wins, 45 losses, and 1 tie. In 1967, the Aggies won the Southwest Conference. This was his only winning season at A&M. At the end of that season, Texas A&M beat Alabama and his old coach, Bear Bryant, in the Cotton Bowl. Coach Bryant even carried Stallings off the field after the win. Stallings left A&M after the 1971 season.
Coaching in the NFL
In 1972, Stallings joined the Dallas Cowboys. He was the secondary coach for Tom Landry. He stayed with the Cowboys for 14 seasons. He helped them win Super Bowl XII.
In 1986, Stallings became the head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. He coached the Cardinals for four seasons. His record was 23 wins, 34 losses, and 1 tie. He was the coach when the team moved to Arizona. In 1987, the Cardinals made a huge comeback. They were down 28–3 in the fourth quarter but won 31–28 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NFL history at the time.
In 1988, the Cardinals had another amazing comeback. They were down 23–0 against the San Francisco 49ers but won 24–23. The team started 7–4 and was leading their division. But they lost their last five games. Stallings announced he would resign at the end of the 1989 season. He left before the season ended.
Return to Alabama
Stallings came back to Alabama as head coach in 1990. His first team finished with a 7–5 record. In 1991, his team had an 11–1 record. They won the Blockbuster Bowl against Colorado.
In 1992, Stallings' team had a perfect regular season. They played in the first ever SEC Championship Game. Alabama beat Florida 28–21. This gave Alabama its 20th Southeastern Conference (SEC) title. They then beat Miami 34–13 in the 1993 Sugar Bowl. This completed a perfect 13–0 season. They won the national championship.
In 1993, Alabama won another SEC West Division title. However, they lost to Florida in the SEC Championship Game. In 1994, Stallings' team finished the regular season 11–0. They won their third straight SEC West Division title. But they lost the SEC title game to Florida again. Alabama finished 12–1 that year. They won the Citrus Bowl against Ohio State.
After an investigation, the National Collegiate NCAA found that Alabama had some rules violations in 1993. As a result, Alabama's football program faced penalties. They lost some scholarships and could not play in postseason games in 1995. Also, some wins from the 1993 season were officially changed.
In 1995, Alabama went 8–3. In 1996, Stallings' team won ten games. They played in the SEC Championship Game again. They lost to Florida, who went on to win the national title. Stallings announced he would resign at the end of the 1996 season. He finished his time at Alabama with a win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl. His official record at Alabama was 62 wins and 25 losses.
Life Outside Football
Family Life
Gene Stallings married Ruth Ann Jack after college. They had five children. Their son, John Mark, was born with Down syndrome and a heart condition. Because of this, Stallings became very involved in helping people with developmental disabilities. He and John Mark even appeared in a public service announcement for the United Way. After retiring, Stallings moved back to Texas with his family. They started a cattle ranch.
Community Involvement
Stallings has served on many important boards. He was on President George W. Bush's Commission on Intellectual Disability. He also served on the board of Abilene Christian University. Other groups he helped include the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Association and the Boys and Girls Club of Paris, Texas.
In 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry appointed Stallings to the Texas A&M Board of Regents. He helped with committees about finances and student affairs. His term ended in 2011.
Writing a Book
Stallings wrote a book called Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son. He wrote it with journalist Sally Cook. The book is about his family's relationship with his son, John Mark. John Mark loved his father's career and was a big fan of the Crimson Tide. He even gave tours at the Alabama football facilities. John Mark passed away on August 2, 2008, due to a heart condition. An updated version of the book was published later.
Two places at the University of Alabama are named after John Mark Stallings. The Stallings Center helps young children with disabilities. The equipment room in the Alabama football building is also named for him. Faulkner University in Alabama also named its new football and soccer field after John Mark Stallings in 2010.
Awards and Recognition
Gene Stallings received many national coaching awards in 1992. He was named the SEC Coach of the Year twice, in 1992 and 1994. In 2000, he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University. He also received the Legends Award in Dallas in 2001.
Stallings has also received many awards for his humanitarian work. These include the Arthritis Humanitarian Award of Alabama and the Dallas Father of the Year award. He is in the College Football Hall of Fame, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and Texas Sports Hall of Fame. He also received an honorary doctoral degree from Harding University.
Gene Stallings has done a lot for the disability community. His son, John Mark, had Down syndrome. There is a school for children with disabilities named after Gene Stallings at the University of Alabama. He hosts a charity golf tournament every year to support it. The playground at the school is called the John Mark Stallings Playground.
Head Coaching Records
College 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 | T–7th | |||||
| 1966 | Texas A&M | 4–5–1 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1967 | Texas A&M | 7–4 | 6–1 | 1st | W Cotton | ||||
| 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 | L Fiesta | ||||
| 1991 | Alabama | 11–1 | 6–1 | 2nd | W Blockbuster | 5 | 5 | ||
| 1992 | Alabama | 13–0 | 8–0 | 1st (West) | W Sugar† | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1993 | Alabama | 9–3–1* | 5–2–1* | 2nd (West)* | W Gator† | 13 | 14 | ||
| 1994 | Alabama | 12–1 | 8–0 | 1st (West) | W Florida Citrus | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1995 | Alabama‡ | 8–3 | 5–3 | T–2nd (West) | 21 | ||||
| 1996 | Alabama | 10–3 | 6–2 | T–1st (West) | W Outback | 11 | 11 | ||
| Alabama: | 70–16–1 | 43–13–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 97–61–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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*Alabama forfeited eight wins and one tie, after Antonio 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.
NFL Coaching Record
| 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 | ||||||
