The life and legacy of former Alabama head football coach Gene Stallings is hitting the big screen through a documentary titled, “Do Right: The Stallings Standard,” set to debut Sept. 26 at the Bama Theatre. The film tells the story of Stallings’ career on and off the gridiron and his lasting efforts to help others.
A glowing example of Stallings’ impact is through the support of the RISE Center on the UA campus. The Stallings family’s advocacy for the RISE Center, a nationally recognized early childhood education program that serves young children with varying abilities and traditional learners, is personal. Stallings’ son, John Mark, was born with Down syndrome and a heart defect.
Dr. Chandra Clark, associate professor in the department of journalism and creative media, and Dr. Michael Bruce, associate professor and chair of the department of journalism and creative media, partnered to produce the documentary. Clark says the film shows how Stallings’ leadership and advocacy set an example for other coaches and philanthropists to help families who faced the same issues as his family.
“When Coach Stallings and his family came to UA in 1990 and learned about the RISE Center, they started advocating to have a better facility for the children along with the director and other teachers and administrators,” said Clark. “The platform he had as a head coach, then eventually a national championship coach, gave him the opportunity to advocate even more for individuals of all ages with varying abilities.
“John Mark worked at the RISE Center as an adult, but his family used the model of RISE to share the success with others to help thousands of families know there were resources to help them starting from birth through pre-K and then through adulthood.”
The documentary includes stories of Stallings’ positive influence from former players and colleagues, including Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney and Lee Roy Jordan, among others.
Bruce hopes viewers will leave with an understanding of how their individual choices and example can make a difference and never give up.
“Many times, we could have stopped working on this, but we learned that documentary stories have a life of their own,” said Bruce. “This story has evolved in ways we never could have imagined when we first started the project.
“We also learned that to truly focus on a subject as dynamic, large and interesting as Gene Stallings, you must form great relationships with partners and interview subjects around the country because his impact and advocacy has major ripple effects into communities nationwide.”
A portion of the proceeds from the documentary screening events will benefit the RISE Center.
For more information on the film and to purchase tickets to showings, visit the “Do Right: The Stallings Standard” website.