Crimson Tide Names Coach: Gene Stallings

As expected, Gene Stallings, who played and coached under Alabama legend Paul (Bear) Bryant, today was named head coach of the Crimson Tide with a promise to “carry on the tradition.”

Stallings, who coached at Texas A&M; and in the NFL before his firing last season by the Phoenix Cardinals, was joined at a news conference by a gathering of former Alabama stars, including Lee Roy Jordan and Bart Starr.

The news conference was called to introduce Stallings, who was picked to succeed Bill Curry and restore Bryant-style unity to the football program, which Curry left Sunday to take the reins at Kentucky.

“You know, I’m not coach Bryant,” Stallings said. “Everybody has to coach their own personality.”

But he recounted the strong influence Bryant had on him as a player and coach and he said that moving into Bryant’s old role is “a dream come true.”

Alabama President Roger Sayers and Athletic Director Hootie Ingram called the news conference to end a four-day guessing game over who would step into the role once held by Bryant, who won five national titles during his 25 years as the Alabama coach, 1958 to 1982.

Some Alabama people were unhappy that Curry, who coached the Tide for three seasons, had not played for or coached under Bryant and insisted that his successor have a Bryant tie. Curry resigned despite leading Alabama to a 10-2 record, a share of the Southeastern Conference crown and winning SEC Coach of the Year honors himself.

“This is a time to look to the future instead of trying to second-guess the past,” Sayers said.

Stallings did not mention Curry by name, but he commended Curry’s final team, saying they “obviously played well last year” to win the SEC and go to the Sugar Bowl. He asked members of the news media not to interview Alabama players until he had a chance to speak with them for the first time and let them know his goals and standards in academics and behavior.

His goal now, he said, is to “get everybody pulling together.”

He said he had asked Jimmy Fuller, an Alabama assistant who also played under Bryant, to remain on the staff. But he said he had hired no other assistants as yet.

Stallings, 54, played under Bryant at Texas A&M; from 1954-57, started his coaching career under Bryant at that school in 1958 and followed him to Alabama later that year.

In 1965, he returned to Texas A&M; as the coach and stayed until he was fired in 1971 with a 27-45-1 record.

Stallings was an assistant to Tom Landry with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys for 14 years and, in 1985, became coach of the Phoenix Cardinals, turning in a 22-34-1 record until the team fired him this season.