Former Alabama football coach Gene Stallings suffered a stroke this morning at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.
Stallings was headed to Huntsville to speak with former Auburn coach Pat Dye at an event organized by The Legendary Coaches. Both coaches were scheduled to participate in an event organized by the company. The Legendary Coaches confirmed the news on its Facebook page and said Stallings’ speaking events in Alabama would be rescheduled.
Stallings is 82. He suffered a minor stroke earlier this summer before a speaking engagement in Montgomery.
Stallings was head coach at Alabama from 1990-96. He led Alabama to the 1992 national championship and went 70-16-1 in seven seasons. He now lives in Paris, Texas.
Stallings is a member of the “Junction Boys”, the first team at Texas A&M coached by Paul W. “Bear” Bryant at Texas A&M in 1954. His coaching career began as an assistant at Alabama under Bryant in 1958, until he was named head coach of the Aggies in 1965. He worked in the NFL as an assistant and head coach from 1972-89 before arriving at Alabama.
Stallings became an active member in the Tuscaloosa community during his coaching tenure, working as a prominent supporter of the Rise School at UA. Stallings’ son, Johnny, was born with Down Syndrome. Rise serves young children with disabilities. Its facility on campus is named The Stallings Center.
