RIP John Mark Stallings

dixiehack · Aug 4, 2008

Apologies if this was covered this weekend, a search turned up nothing.

http://www.al.com/alabama/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/121775131593220.xml&coll=2

John Mark Stallings, the son of former University of Alabama head coach Gene Stallings and one of the most beloved members of the Crimson Tide football family, died Saturday in Paris, Texas, at age 46.

The last of five children and the only son born to Gene and Ruth Ann Stallings, John Mark often joined his father on the practice field at coaching stops from Texas A&M to the Dallas Cowboys to the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals and back to Tuscaloosa, when Gene Stallings replaced Bill Curry after the 1989 season.

"There weren't any lives he (John Mark) touched that weren't made better by his influence," said Linda Knowles, Stallings' secretary at Alabama. "He loved life, and he loved Alabama football."

"He had a way of lighting up a room," said Alabama Director of Events Larry White, the school's sports information director during the Stallings years at Alabama.

John Mark, whose health had been declining in recent years, died en route to a Paris hospital after a 911 call sent paramedics to the family ranch Saturday morning.

UA Athletics Director Mal Moore said in a statement Saturday that "for someone who never played a game or coached a game, I think John Mark may have touched more Alabama fans than any other person ever did."

John Mark Stallings was born June 11, 1962, at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa. When a doctor told the family his son was Mongoloid - the term used for Down syndrome at that time - Gene Stallings fainted on the spot.

"When I woke up, the nurses were standing over me and putting smelling salts in front of me," Stallings said in a 1991 interview. "I guess it was the shock. We cried a bushel of tears."

Those tears turned into a lifetime of smiles.
Click to expand...

NFL types may remember him from the United Way spots that aired during Cardinals games.

This one came as a punch in the gut to a lot of people here.

Simon_Cowbell · Aug 4, 2008

Another online obit without a photo.

Unacceptable.

StraightEdge · Aug 5, 2008

Wow, that's a heartbreaker. I met the coach at an autograph session and took a copy of his book to sign. A prized possession to be sure, but it's a great read about how he balanced coaching and raising his boy.

Armchair_QB · Aug 5, 2008

My sister's oldest child is a Down's kid. The Stallings story has always been a special one to her.

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RIP John Mark Stallings

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RIP John Mark Stallings

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Simon_Cowbell Active Member

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