💬 Happy Birthday

[XXL TideFan]

Coach Stallings 82 today.

 

[UAgrad93]

Love Coach Stallings!! I told @alabama mike a story or two about my time as a walk on and he said I should share a few. I guess, no time like the present to tell one about Coach Stallings.

When Coach had his initial meeting with us when he was hired, he captured the room the second he walked in the door! You could hear a pin drop on the carpet floor as he approached the front of the room. He began to speak and thoughts of Coach Bryant speaking immediately rushed through my head. He sounded JUST LIKE Coach Bryant did on all of those Sunday postgame shows!!! After he spoke of his time in football, college and pro, he spoke about the expectations for each and everyone of us. INCLUDING Walk ons!!! He talked philosophy, offense and defense. He basically said we would win with defense. Offense, just don't screw it up to put the defense in a bad position!
After the meeting, he asked each and everyone of us to introduce ourselves to him. I've never been more terrified in my life! I introduced myself and told him I was from Birmingham. I said that because I knew that there was no way in hell he would know about where Warrior, AL was and definitely wouldn't know where Corner High School was!! He asked me what HS, so I had to tell him then. I said, "Coach, I told you Birmingham because I knew you wouldn't know where Warrior or Corner High was." He responded, "Son, when I was here with Coach Bryant. That was my area for recruiting. The I-65 corridor." I just stammered like an idiot as I moved on to the lockerroom to talk with everyone else about our new coach.
2-3 weeks passed and as I was leaving the QB meeting room, Coach Stallings passed me in the hall. I acknowledged him with, "hey coach!" Thinking I would only get a nod at most, he shocked me when he called me by my name and then proceeded to ask how my parents and little sister were doing! How did Coach Stallings know about this little piss ant walk on from Corner High School and know about my family? Without me saying that, it looked as if he had read my mind. He politely said, "Son, it is my job to not only win games, but to know all of MY players!"

 

[alabama mike]

Tell us more!

 

[TUSKtimes]

Both Stallings and Saban were around 54 when they arrived at Alabama. I do remember Stallings looking and sounding so much like coach Bryant it was scary. Also seems like I remember Stallings enjoyed riding a Harley which coach Bryant didn't even allow his players to ride after one of his players was hurt. seems I remember one of the Bama players getting killed when he tried to stop someone from stealing his bike. Maybe someone remembers this stuff better than me.

 

[UAgrad93]

That first spring, before Spring ball started, we had students that wanted to try their hand at the team since they had been on a flag football team at the Rec and won their group. :sarcasm:Anyway, they were going through some conditioning drills with Coach Wingo, GOALLINE STAND Rich Wingo, and his S&C staff in Coleman. I recall this vividly, because I had a class in Coleman and these guys were running the concourses. Coach Wingo didn't care much for walk ons and he definitely didn't like these "frat boys" wanting to try their hand at donning the Crimson and White. I was coming out of the bathroom when one of these guys comes moping up to Coach Wingo like he had been shot, gasping for air and whimpering like a baby. Whining that he couldn't run anymore and that his legs hurt and he was tired, need to rest, blah, blah, blah. He grabs Coach Wingo by his shirt and falls to his knees. Wingo slaps the guys hands off of him and tells him to get his ass up and keep moving. The guy is still whining, I can't! I can't! Wingo says, you will or you will get your ass out of here and never come back! Wingo then grabs the guy and literally kicks his ass out of Coleman. Word got back to Coach Stallings and Coach Wingo was GONE by the time I got out of class and got over there for workouts!! Word was spreading throughout the lockerroom area that Coach Stallings called Wingo onto the carpet and told him that he had ENOUGH EGO to run BOTH floors of the Football Building and that Wingo's was too much. Coach Stallings then went out and hired LeBaron Carruthers from the NFL to head up the S&C program.