TUSCALOOSA | In football circles, Gene Stallings is known as an outstanding coach with championships to his name. Off the field, his life has largely been defined by his relationship with his son.

"If you want to know the real reason he was loved, and still is, I think, it was Johnny," said Stallings' wife, Ruth Ann. "There was such a genuine feeling of love between Johnny and Gene, and I think people were able to see that and were touched by it. I really would give Johnny most of the credit."

Johnny Stallings was born with Down syndrome and doctors recommended Stallings and his wife institutionalize him. Instead, Stallings and Johnny redefined the way millions regard people with Down Syndrome.

"They always had unconditional love toward each other," said Martha Cook, director of the University of Alabama's Rise program. "He didn't mind walking around holding Johnny's hand or cutting Johnny's food up. It just came naturally to him."

Gene and Ruth Ann Stallings integrated Johnny fully into family life. Stallings called Johnny his life's "greatest blessing." And he said it with conviction.

Stallings' plain-spoken demeanor seemed to help people understand the depth of their relationship. And his grief when Johnny died in 2008 was palpable, Cook said.

Many people first became aware of Stallings' relationship with his son through a United Way television commercial when Stallings was coaching in the National Football League. But Johnny truly became a celebrity during Stallings' tenure at UA. A striking photo of Stallings holding Johnny's hand in the middle of the Alabama end zone before the 1993 Sugar Bowl against Miami for the national championship has become iconic among fans.

Ruth Ann Stallings said the family always tried to be involved in the community wherever they went. But it seemed to come naturally for Stallings in Tuscaloosa.

"I think he had a particular love for Tuscaloosa, I really do, and for the University of Alabama," she said. "There are a lot of reasons: That was the first place that he worked, that was his first job was at Alabama.

Stallings' most notable contribution to Tuscaloosa is The Stallings Center, headquarters for the Rise program on the UA campus. The program serves children with physical and developmental difficulties.

"He always said he had no regrets about Johnny and wouldn't change a thing about him," Cook said. "He said his only regret was that there were no Rise programs when Johnny was born. He could have learned a lot more academically. He wasn't given the opportunity to reach his full potential."

Stallings became the public face for the Rise program, raising money and gathering support. He is still its most identifiable advocate.

"One of the proudest moments of his life was the day this building was named after him," Cook said. "He said 'We've got the (Paul W.) Bryant Museum but I'd rather have my name on this building than on any building or street.'"

Stallings has a special feeling for parents of children with Down syndrome, Cook said. When he learned Johnny had Down syndrome, it was shocking.

Stallings wants parents to understand that it doesn't have to be that way.

"He calls parents around the country every day," Cook said. "His statements to parents of newborns with Down syndrome, they really do make a big impact on families. He'll say congratulations when nobody else does. He'll say this is the biggest blessing you'll ever have when they think they have damaged goods. It really helps them."

As much as Stallings has helped Rise, Cook believes Rise also has helped Stallings.

"He'd come over on Fridays during football season just to get away from the pressure," Cook said. "When he came over here his identity was not coach Stallings. It was Johnny's daddy. Children don't have social distance. They'd just run over to him or roll over to him in a wheelchair. It meant more to him than anything. It picked up his spirits more than anything."

In addition to his work with Rise, Stallings was also very active in his church, University Church of Christ. The church was once west of campus on the Strip where Publix is now.

When Bill Rose attended church there as a student, Stallings was a young assistant coach. Only in his mid-20s, he was already a deacon.

"It meant a lot him and it meant a lot to his wife," Rose said. "They both had strong convictions. They live their religion."

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the church faced a unique challenge: It had far more students than adult members. And students tend not to have much to spare for the offering plate.

Next to the church was a Howard Johnson's restaurant that the church wanted to buy for a new student center. Stallings was among the church members who traveled around the state gathering donations to buy the building. He was an important part of raising the $250,000 needed, Rose said.

But like most who know him, Rose remembers Stallings' relationship with Johnny. Johnny had met three U.S. presidents. Five college presidents either attended the funeral or the viewing when Johnny died.

"Johnny's life had a profound effect on him," Rose said.