Obit: John Mark Stallings, son of former UA football coach
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008
From the Montgomery [AL] Advertiser, CBS42-TV in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa [AL] News, Birmingham [AL] News:
John Mark Stallings, 46, the son of former University of Alabama head football coach Gene Stallings and a popular member of the Crimson Tide family, died this morning in Texas.
John Mark Stallings, who had Down syndrome, had been in declining health in recent years as a result of a congenital heart problem. He accompanied his father to every practice and game during his father’s tenure in 1990-96. The Alabama athletic training facility is named in his honor.
His story was told by his father in the book “Another Season.”
“I had a whole lot less tolerance for the gifted and a whole lot more tolerance for the guy that wasn’t quite as gifted,” Gene Stallings told a reporter in January of 2008. “With Johnny, I saw him struggle to walk, struggle to kick a ball, struggle to do everything that he did. So, I had a little tolerance for the guys that had to struggle.
“If you had talent and didn’t lay it on the line, I didn’t have much tolerance for you. The less talented guy can’t play on Saturdays. But he can get you ready to play on Saturdays. I wanted the guys who played on Saturday to have an appreciation for that guy who got them there.”
(Photo from the Birmingham News)




