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re: Greatest Quote ever by a coach on getting fired was by Gene Stallings
Posted on 11/16/23 at 6:45 am to TutHillTiger
Posted on 11/16/23 at 6:45 am to TutHillTiger
My dad (RIP) loved him. He said he remembers when Gene came to his house to recruit his brother and had to convince my grandmother more than any one to get him to come play at UA. Said he was super nice and respectful. Have always liked him, especially after I heard that story.
ETA: Bear was coach, Gene was an assistant of some sort.
ETA: Bear was coach, Gene was an assistant of some sort.
This post was edited on 11/16/23 at 6:46 am
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Posted on 11/16/23 at 6:50 am to KyleOrtonsMustache
Tide's punter graduated and Bebes was scrutinzing potential replacements during spring camp. One prospect (think it was Diehl) muffed or shanked several punts and Coach Stallings asked what the heck was wrong. He replied "sorry Coach, I'm just nervous with you watching me." Bebes replied "well son, I plan on being at every game." 
This post was edited on 11/16/23 at 6:51 am
Posted on 11/16/23 at 6:50 am to TutHillTiger
Stallings has always been one of my favorites. After State upset Bama 17-16 in 1996 the Bama AD Bob Bockrath was deriding Coach Stallings outside the locker room at Scott Field about the loss. Stallings was in no mood listen to criticism and told Bockrath to F off. And though he had planned to coach a few more years, that prompted him to resign.
That was the worst thing that could have ever happened to Bama. The next 11 years they went through 4 coaches and were very up and down until Saban righted the ship in 2007.
That was the worst thing that could have ever happened to Bama. The next 11 years they went through 4 coaches and were very up and down until Saban righted the ship in 2007.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 6:52 am to Godawgs4
quote:
The next 11 years they went through 4 coaches and were very up and down
Those were terrible years for a kid to grow up in, especially when you're surrounded by Vol fans in East Tennessee lol
Posted on 11/16/23 at 7:07 am to RollingwiththeTide
quote:
He had some great defensive teams but never could score enough points to beat Spurrier and Florida.
1992 SECCG says hello!
Posted on 11/16/23 at 7:42 am to BamaMamaof2
I have always thought 94 was his best team. With Homer calling plays Jay Barker out-dueled Eric Zeir and UGA that year and finished in the top 5 in the heisman voting….. 12-1 with a 24-23 loss to the Gators in Atlanta.
This post was edited on 11/16/23 at 7:44 am
Posted on 11/16/23 at 8:14 am to TutHillTiger
quote:
Gene Stalling is a very underrated coach at Bama
70 wins in 7 seasons when the regular season was 11 games, a natty, and 4 SECCG appearances in 5 seasons (there was no title game his first two years, but at 11-1 in 1991 they'd have been in it then too had it existed) - with Spurrier in his prime at Florida.
To this day, Bama fans don't appreciate what he did here.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 8:15 am to TutHillTiger
The only game i ever rooted for bama over their opponent.
Doubt it will ever happen again but then again, I am only 60yrs old.
Doubt it will ever happen again but then again, I am only 60yrs old.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 8:34 am to Legionfield
quote:
went 1-2 versus Spurrier.
I was referring to SEC championship games.
I was at a couple of the regular season losses, they were maddening. But the ones that really mattered were the SEC championship game losses.
One of the main reasons that they ran Stallings off was because he was not Spurrier.
It was one of it not the stupidest thing ever done by the University of Alabama.
Losing to Spurrier and finishing in the top 10 consistently beat the hell out of getting embarrassed by UCLA and finishing 3-8 in my opinion.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 9:35 am to captdalton
Spike Dykes (long time head coach at Texas Tech before Mike Leach) once said
“I left Tech for health reasons. The alumni were sick of me.”
“I left Tech for health reasons. The alumni were sick of me.”
Posted on 11/16/23 at 9:35 am to TutHillTiger
quote:
Gene Stalling is a very underrated coach at Bama
He'll always be my favorite Bama coach. Didn't the AD frick him over? I always hear conflicting reports but most Bama fans say he got the shite end of the stick.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 9:53 am to TutHillTiger
Another good one he had was “if a player is really fast but makes a mistake he just makes a mistake that much faster”??
Posted on 11/16/23 at 10:23 am to TouchdownTony
Stallings was a good coach, but I would stop short of calling him a great coach. I actually think he is a little overrated because people like him so much as a person.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 10:33 am to BigBadBoodieDaddy
quote:
Didn't the AD frick him over? I always hear conflicting reports but most Bama fans say he got the shite end of the stick.
The story goes that after Mississippi State upset Alabama in 1996, our AD Bob Bockrath went to the locker room and said some things that Stallings did not appreciate. Bockrath's side of the story is that he just went down there to try to perk the team up after the unexpected defeat. However, there were others there who contradict Bockrath's version of events, claiming that his words were more hostile than they were consoling. Either way Stallings construed Bockrath's comments as hostile and, considering their already icy relationship, words were exchanged between the two. It was in that moment that Stallings decided he was done coaching at Alabama.
The next week, after defeating Auburn in the Iron Bowl, he announced his resignation effective at the end of the season in his post-game press conference. Though word got out at halftime that he was planning on resigning.
This post was edited on 11/16/23 at 10:34 am
Posted on 11/16/23 at 3:36 pm to RollTide1987
I heard he cussed him out in Starkville in front of a lot of people and embarrassed him, and even the state people called bullshite on that.
How did it workout for Bama ?
Also, his being run off is exactly what he was talking about in his quote.
He was fired for not beating spurrier, a rival at the time
Charlie Mac was fired for not beating Bear
Jimbo was fired for not beating ole miss and texas doing well etc
And it goes on and on
How did it workout for Bama ?
Also, his being run off is exactly what he was talking about in his quote.
He was fired for not beating spurrier, a rival at the time
Charlie Mac was fired for not beating Bear
Jimbo was fired for not beating ole miss and texas doing well etc
And it goes on and on
Posted on 11/16/23 at 4:59 pm to TutHillTiger
quote:
Although a lot of you think I am just a rapid* gump hater,
* rabid
Posted on 11/16/23 at 5:21 pm to TutHillTiger
quote:
How did it workout for Bama ?
It's difficult to say really. We had just been put on probation for the Antonio Langham-NFL agent incident and the sanctions were really going to start hitting us in 1997. The coaching search to replace him was a fiasco but it was a fiasco partially of Stallings's creation as he strongly recommended to the search committee that someone from his staff be selected to succeed him. That led to a mass letter writing campaign from a number of ignorant fans, pleading for Bockrath and Sorensen (the university president at the time) to hire Mike DuBose. Bockrath wanted Frank Beamer but caved to the pressure and hired DuBose instead.
Ultimately, the events of 1996-97 led to the eventual hiring of Nick Saban. So to answer your question, it worked out pretty well for Alabama in the end.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 5:42 pm to RollTide1987
I had the privilege to meet Coach Stallings when he came to my families hunting camp in Northwest La. after he retired from Alabama. He was as humble as a servant and made sure that he thanked us all for hosting him. I've met few finer men.
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