Stallings to speak to district coaches, employees
06/16/08 -  Hinds employees and local high school coaches and personnel are invited to hear Gene Stallings, former head football coach at the University of Alabama, speak on the Raymond Campus of Hinds Community College 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 9. The session will take place in room 165 of Reeves Music Hall.

The legendary coach will speak on developing teamwork, improving morale and motivation.

The free session is open to high school coaches and personnel in the Hinds Community College district, which includes schools in Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Rankin and Warren counties.

All Hinds supervisors are also strongly encouraged to attend. Stallings, who won a national championship with the Crimson Tide in 1992, compiled an 89-70-1 overall record that also included head coaching stops at Texas A&M University and the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).

Stallings earned National Coach of the Year Award honors in 1992 and was twice named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Coach of the Year on two separate occasions.

Since his retirement from coaching in 1996, Stallings has become a highly sought-after speaker and bestselling author, writing Another Season about his love for his son John Mark, who was born with Down Syndrome.

"Coach Stallings will be speaking on topics that everyone could benefit from," said Hinds athletic director Gene Murphy. "To have someone of his caliber to come and speak on our campus is a very good thing, and I would hope that he would provide insight for all those who come to hear him."