Page 4
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, November 30, 1971
THE BATTALIOI
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Anyone can see that Gene Stallings has class
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TEXAS A&M RESEARCH ANNEX
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Much has been and will be said
about the firing of Texas A&M’s
athletic director and head foot
ball coach. Gene Stallings.
It is easy to second-guess and
speculate about the decision. It
is hard to weigh the alternatives
and take action in a matter that
is controversial. Had it not been
a hard thing to do, the dismissal
would not have taken so much
time to discuss and deliberate.
Regardless of the opinion one
has on the matter, few will dis
agree that Stallings has a lot of
class.
For the past two seasons, his
position at A&M has been ques
tionable, due to the rumors about
the status of his job. His squad’s
record a year ago was 2-9 and
several weeks ago it was 1-5. Yet
through it all, the man was im
pressive.
It’s not easy for a club to make
a complete turnaround, but the
1971 Aggies did just that. Durn
ing the darker days of this sea
son, the players and coaches
stuck it out and stuck together,
and they were rewarded.
Through it all, Stallings was
willing to take the blame, even
though it was not he out on the
field fumbling the ball or miss
ing a tackle. He was always
complimentary of the players and
gave a lot of credit to his assist
ants.
Last year, he was never afraid
to go downstairs to the Letter-
men’s Lounge to meet with the
sports writers each Tuesday.
Week after week it is not the
easiest task in the world to ex
plain defeats and answer ques
tions about what happened. Yet,
he always came across well.
After home games, there is the
usual press conference at the
Ramada Inn. Stallings showed
up and talked about the game.
This was not his most pleasant
duty, but he was most gracious
during these events.
Outside of relations with the
press, Gene was a gentleman in
every sense of the word. In
Nebraska, eight sophomores from
the Aggie Band showed up for
the game after having driven
the 750 miles without tickets.
Stallings told them to stand on
the sidelines with the team, and
they all said they had the time
of their lives.
Anyone who ever went out to
watch the Aggies practice was
sure to get a smile and a wink
from the congenial coach. He
treated everybody with impor
tance and was quite personable
in everything he did.
Stallings was a good example
of hard work and dedication. He
went to work early and stayed
late. He was always willing to
talk to reporters, administrators,
former students, students, par
ents and fans.
But at no time did the man
nicknamed “Bebes” ever show
his class more than in the events
of last Thursday night. Getting
fired has to be the most painful
thing in any man’s life. Through
it all, Stallings has shown what
kind of person he is.
Although he knew that the
Board of Directors was meeting
to pass judgment on him and
that he would soon be pleading
his case, Gene was at the Aggie
Press Room to talk to the re
porters.
“I’m not afraid to talk about
it,” he said. “I know you guys
(the press) have a job to do.
Heck, I’m a grown man, and I
can face up to the situation.”
Attendance was a poor point
this season, and there was a lot
of pressure on Stallings to come
up with a winner. Poor support
by Aggie graduates and under
graduates alike showed up, but in
Gene’s mind, A&M fans were
great.
“I’d be awfully disappointed if
the alumni didn’t care,” he ex
plained, “particularly if they
didn’t get upset when we lose. All
they asked was that I win, and
I didn't. A&M’s been good to
me, and I still love it, regard
less.”
He talked about his contract
and showed optimism at the
chances of the 1972 version of
the Cadets. He had a positive
attitude about the outcome of the
meeting he would attend later
that night, and he wasn’t afraid
to face the facts.
But if Stallings displayed j
great deal of integrity then »
was after the firing that’l,
really showed his poise and ma
turity. His first thoughts wen
of the future of the coachb
staff and the players.
The next morning, just as lit
did the morning after every Ag.
gie game, he woke up to catch a
4 o’clock plane for Houston to
make his television show. Later
that morning he had a staff
meeting and taped his radio
show for numerous statiom
around the state.
“Lots of times when you get
fired, you want to be critical," he
said. “But I don’t want to be
critical. The people I’ve worked
for have been good to me. I’m
not bitter toward A&M.”
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Stallings will probably stay in
football. It was rumored that he
was offered a position in the
personnel department of the New
Orleans Saints, but he denied
this. Wherever he goes, the b
pression he makes on players,
fellow coaches and anyone else
associated with him is sure
make them better people in the
future.
Vol.
No matter how anyone feels
about him, the one thing they
will remember is that he has a
lot of class.
Good luck, Coach.
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ANOTHER TEXAS TOUCHDOWN was the result of this
dive play by Longhorn running back Jim Bertelson (35)
in Thursday’s 34-14 victory over the Aggies. Defending
on the play are David Hoot (26), Grady Hoermann (31)
and James Dubcak (81), along with
Bird. The win gave Texas a fourth
Cotton
Rice)
Van Odom and Max
straight trip to the
Bowl in Dallas New Year’s Day. (Photo by Mike
ALLEN
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