Martin Houston Shares His Memories of Gene Stallings [Audio]

Prior to Nick Saban’s arrival in Tuscaloosa, only one coach had won a national championship for Alabama between 1979 and 2009.

Gene Stallings brought home the Crimson Tide’s first national championship in the post-Bryant era with a 13-0 season in 1992.

Over the weekend, news surfaced of Gene Stallings’ hospitalization due to a mild stroke.

During his monologue on Monday’s edition of The Blitz, Martin Houston shared his thoughts on playing for Gene Stallings and what Stallings meant to him as a person.

The former Alabama fullback detailed the qualities that he observed in Coach Stallings.

“Coach Stallings still is a very tough man. He’s a very driven man. He’s a very discipline oriented man. He expects and he has a high level of expectation. He’s driven to be the best. He’s driven his family to be the best, his daughters, his son-in-law and, of course, we saw what he did with John Mark and the life that John Mark lived.” Houston said.

Gene Stallings became known by his love and care for his son John Mark Stallings as much as his association with Alabama football. The former Crimson Tide fullback described the impact John Mark had on Coach Stallings.

“The man that we see today would not be the man that we know had it not been for John Mark.” Houston said.

Beyond his responsibilities as an Alabama football player, the host of The Blitz mentioned how Coach Stallings impacted his life.

“For me personally, he helped me see what a professional, driven, hard-working man could be in his profession, as a father and as a husband.” Houston said.

The Blitz kicks off live and local coverage of Alabama sports every weekday from 6-7 AM on Tide 102.9/100.9 and the radioPup app.