My crazy thoughts…

Somehow on the drive home today my twisted mind – going around in circles as it usually does – landed on John Mark Stallings. I think it started by me thinking of family birthdays that are coming up. Then my thoughts went to Ella’s birthday that just past. From there I drifted to the fact that she was born on 9-11, and how we choose to think of her being born on Bear Bryant’s birthday. Of course it wasn’t hard to combine and/or transfer to Alabama Football since it is always in the forefront of my mind lately. Anyway, somehow that combination took me to John Mark and the fact that he passed away this year on my birthday. See, this is how my crazy mind works (and it never seems to shut down)… thus the title of this post :)

At any rate, I’ve continued thinking about that special young man. I’ve heard and read so many times things referring to how the Bear is smiling on us this year, etc. But I can’t help but think how happy sweet John Mark is over this year’s season. My hope is the team has not forgotten how much he loved them – and I think it would be so fitting if this phenomenal season was dedicated to him. How sweet is this… he told his father last year that his favorite Alabama coach was Nick Saban. Too funny!

"There weren't any lives he (John Mark) touched that weren't made better by his influence," said Linda Knowles, Stallings' secretary at Alabama. "He loved life, and he loved Alabama football." UA Athletics Director Mal Moore said in a statement Saturday that "for someone who never played a game or coached a game, I think John Mark may have touched more Alabama fans than any other person ever did."*

In Tuscaloosa, the family played an instrumental role in growing the Rise School of Tuscaloosa, an education program for children from birth to age 5 who were born with disabilities. Established in 1974 by the federal government as a demonstration program, Rise experienced its biggest growth in the early 1990s thanks to a capital campaign led by Gene Stallings and the University of Alabama. The building that houses the Rise School is called “The Stallings Center”. The equipment room at UA was named “The John Mark Stallings Equipment Room” in 2005.*

In my crazy thoughts, I think this wonderful 2008 season should be in his honor/memory. And if Coach Bryant truly is smiling down on the Tide, I guarantee you that John Mark is standing beside him cheering us on much more enthusiastically.

*Birmingham News archives