Skip to content

Gene Stallings to be inducted into Hall of Fame

This was announced Thursday evening by press release. Here are the official details:

GENE STALLINGS TO BE INDUCTED INTO COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
NEW YORK – The Veterans Committee of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame has selected former Alabama head football coach Gene Stallings for induction as a part of the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Class announced Thursday. The 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Class will be inducted at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 7, 2010, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. They will be officially enshrined in 2011.

Stallings and former Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez were the two coaches named to join the list of 12 former players who will also be inducted. The players to be enshrined in 2011 are Dennis Byrd of North Carolina State (1964-67), Ronnie Caveness of Arkansas (1962-64), Ray Childress of Texas A&M (1981-84), Randy Cross of UCLA (1973-75), Sam Cunningham of USC (1970-72), Mark Herrmann of Purdue (1977-80), Clarkston Hines of Duke (1986-89), Desmond Howard of Michigan (1989-91), Chet Moeller of Navy (1973-75), Jerry Stovall of LSU (1960-62), Pat Tillman of Arizona State (1994-97), and Alfred Williams of Colorado (1987-90).

“From his years as a young assistant coach under Coach Bryant through his head coaching days here at Alabama, Coach Stallings produced a career that is richly deserving of this recognition,” said University of Alabama Director of Athletics Mal Moore. “Coach Stallings was more than just a head coach at Alabama – his manner of doing things, his leadership and his passion took our entire program to another level.”

A member of College Football Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant’s “Junction Boys” as a player at Texas A&M, Stallings returned to his alma mater in 1965 as head coach. In his third season, the Aggies captured the Southwest Conference title and defeated Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. Stallings compiled a 27-45-1 record in seven seasons as head coach of the Aggies. After spending the next 17 seasons as an NFL coach, Stallings took over as head coach at Alabama in 1990.

As head coach of the Crimson Tide from 1990-96, Stallings led Alabama to an on-field record of 70-16-1 (62-25 after eight wins were forfeited due to an NCAA ruling) while leading the Crimson Tide to the 1992 National Championship, one Southeastern Conference title (1992), four SEC West Division championships (1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996), five victories in postseason bowl games and four final top-10 national rankings. Under Stallings’ direction, the Crimson Tide posted a 28-game winning streak spanning the 1991-93 seasons. He coached 13 First-Team All-Americans during his head coaching career. In 1992, Stallings was the National Coach of the Year, the American Football Coaches’ Association Coach of the Year, the Paul Bryant Coach of the Year and the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, and honor he earned twice at Alabama.

Since his retirement from football, Stallings has served on several boards including former President George W. Bush’s Commission on Intellectual Disability. Stallings has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, the Texas A&M Hall of Fame, the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame and the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. He also received an honorary doctorate degree from Harding University.

Stallings co-wrote the book Another Season: A Coach’s Story of Raising an Exceptional Son with Associated Press journalist Sally Cook, which described his love for his son, John Mark Stallings, who was born with Down syndrome. John Mark, also known as “Johnny,” died on August 2, 2008.

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. 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 was appointed to the Texas A&M University Board of Regents by Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2005. He serves as a member of the Committee on Finance, the Committee on Buildings and Physical Plant and the Committee on Campus Art and Aesthetic Improvement. He also serves as the Board’s special athletic liaison to the A&M System Members. His term expires February 1, 2011.

Exit mobile version