Synopses & Reviews
Gene the Stallings of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide is one of the top college football coaches in the country -- a Bear Bryant protege who's stood up to countless tough challenges on the gridiron. But in 1962, doctors handed Stallings the toughest challenge he would ever face. His newborn son, they told him, was a mongoloid -- a Down Syndrome child, as the genetic condition is now called -- who also had a serious heart condition, which meant he probably wouldn't survive to see his first birthday.
In Another Season, Coach Stallings tells the heartwarming story of how Johnny not only survived but went on to become an integral member of the Stallings family and the Alabama football community. Rejecting advice to put Johnny in an institution, Stallings did everything he could to make sure his son had a good and productive life -- including taking him along to the football stadium, where he has become a familiar figure to fans and players alike.
Shot through with Stallings's fierce love for his son and filled with rousing football anecdotes, Another Season speaks to every parent -- and every football fan.
Synopsis
When beloved University of Alabama football coach Gene Stallings's son was born with Down syndrome and a serious heart defect, doctors predicted he wouldn't live to see his first birthday and urged Coach Stallings and his wife to institutionalize him. But for Gene and Ruth Ann that was not an option. Johnny quickly won the hearts and adoration of the Stallings family and everyone who took the time to know him, and, proving the doctors wrong by leading an active life, he became a vital and important part of his family, his community, and his father's career. With intimate glimpses of family life and thrilling football anecdotes, ANOTHER SEASON is brimming with poignant lessons about defying the odds and finding joy in every moment.
About the Author
Gene Stallings is a motivational leader who frequently addresses large audiences on the subjects of Down syndrome and intellectual disability. He has coached football for the University of Alabama, Texas A&M University, the St. Louis and Phoenix Cardinals, and the Dallas Cowboys. He recently retired from coaching and lives with this family in Paris, Texas. Sally Cook has written on family topics for the Associated Press and many national magazines. She lives in New York City.