“I'm a lot like this old tractor”- Former Alabama HC Gene Stallings gives fans an update on how he spends his time during retirement
Alabama has a storied history in football, and Gene Stallings is an integral part of Tuscaloosa folklore. The former Crimson Tide coach retired from the helm almost three decades ago. Recently, he gave the fans an update on how he spends his time as a retired football coach.
Stallings spent four decades coaching at various levels, be it college or in the NFL. He ended his coaching career in 1996 after the Crimson Tide lost the SEC championship game to the Florida Gators that year. Almost 28 years later, he keeps himself busy in his tomato garden, which, incidentally, is also his favorite food.
Here is what former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Gene Stallings, 89, said about his retired life (via AL):
“I’m a lot like this old tractor. As long as I get started in the morning, I’m good to go.”
Stallings is into gardening and cultivates his favorite tomatoes in his garden. According to him, he takes care of his 50 tomato plants spread across several rows. Stallings said that they give him enough yield to eat three tomatoes a day all the way through August.
The former football coach lives in Paris, Texas, with his wife, Ruth Ann. The couple has four daughters: Martha Kate, Ann Lee, Laurie and Jackie. Stallings has a dog named Buddy. The 1992 national champion also invited seven-time national champion coach Nick Saban to his place for some excitement in retirement.
Gene Stallings and Nick Saban, the two Alabama coaching greats
Alabama is one of the most storied college football programs in the U.S., and Gene Stallings and Nick Saban are the two coaching greats associated with the school's history. While Stallings started as a freshman coach with his alma mater, Texas A&M, in 1957, Saban came to the scene 15 years later with Kent State.
Gene Stallings won two Super Bowls as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys before his head coaching stint with the St. Louis Cardinals. After spending three seasons with the Cardinals, he took over the Crimson Tide and led them to the national championship title in 1992.
Saban also had a stint with the Miami Dolphins in the NFL before taking over at Alabama in 2007. But he had already won a national championship with LSU. After spending 17 years in Tuscaloosa from 2007 to his retirement in January 2024, he won six national championships with Alabama and became a legendary figure in college football.
Now both the greats have walked into the sunset, leaving their legacy on the program forever.