Cardinals Find Stallings Tough and Organized

In his voice, in his mannerisms and in his coaching philosophy, Gene Stallings is very much the product of his mentors--Paul (Bear) Bryant and Tom Landry.

Stallings speaks in the measured drawl of the legendary Alabama coach and, like Landry, is tough and demanding with a firm sense of right and wrong.

Bill Bidwill, the owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, took note of Stallings’ coaching bloodlines when picking him as the new head of his club.

The Cardinals were reported to have taken advantage of the good nature of their previous coach, Jim Hanifan, and Bidwill was looking for some law and order.

Stallings, a long-time assistant for Landry, does not deny his reputation as a no-nonsense coach.

“There will not be a whole lot of nonsense about our football program, about the way we approach it,” he said. “I don’t think you can be organized, I don’t think you can get the maximum out of your coaches or your players doing it haphazardly.”

“At the same time, I enjoy the player. I enjoy the coaches. But at the same time, I want him to do right.

Stallings had one previous stint as a head coach--for seven years at his alma mater, Texas A&M.; At the age of 29, Stallings became the Aggies’ head coach until he was fired in 1971 after compiling a 27-45-1 record.

Landry rescued Stallings and named him his defensive back coach in 1972.

“The influence I got from Coach Landry is that he was tremendously organized,” Stallings said. “The game plan was really important to his approach. Very patient, patient with coaches as well as patient with players.”

In the next breath Stallings talks of Bear Bryant, who coached him as a player at Texas A&M; and then selected him to be an assistant coach at Alabama.

“Coach Bryant had a different approach,” said Stallings. “Players played for him because, to a certain extent, they were scared not to. Because they respected him so, the players wanted a kind word from Coach Bryant. They wanted his approval.

“A different style of people but both of them were very successful.”

Stallings said his experience and apprenticeship under Bryant and Landry qualified him for his new role as head coach in the NFL.

“One of the reasons I wanted to be a head coach in the National Football League is because I feel like I’m qualified to do it,” Stallings said. “I’d hate to think I went through life in the profession I chose and not ever really reach the top.

“To be successful in the NFL is sort of the ultimate of what coaches are trying to do. I haven’t really had any success yet. But we’ve gotten the first step--the job.”

Curt Mosher, vice president of administration for the Cardinals, said Stallings is a take-charge guy who can handle the responsibilities that come with being a head coach.

“Stallings is not a lip-service guy,” Mosher said. “He’s hard-nosed and tough. He’s a doer.”