Thanks for EVERYTHING Johnny...

Hey y'all... luckily my blog is back up and running but unfortunately I have some really sad news. Gene Stallings' son John Mark (seriously, don't ask "who's Gene Stallings?") passed away today in Texas. I loved* that guy (*from afar-- I guess it was more like a real, sincere admiration) and remember seeing him working hard at the Bryant Museum. I'm extremely proud of the Crimson nation (a rarity these days!) because we all loved him, I mean really loved and appreciated him. They just don't "make 'em" like the Stallings family anymore and that's a real tragedy. Here's a great link and another one here. I'll post more links here as they become available but until then, here's a statement from our AD Mal Moore. I thought it best encapsulated all our sentiments:

"I've known John Mark Stallings his entire life," said Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore in a statement this morning. "I want to extend my deepest sympathy to Coach Stallings, Ruth Ann and the entire Stallings family. For someone who never played or coached a game, I think John Mark may have touched more Alabama fans than any other person ever did."I would like to thank the Stallings family for sharing their love for John Mark with all of us."