BOBBY ROSS – 2009 EAST COACH

Following a tour of duty in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant (1960-62), Bobby Ross found work coaching high school football. He coached at Colonial Heights High School and at his own alma mater of Benedictine, both located near Richmond, Va. He then moved on to coaching at the college level, starting with assistant coaching stints at the Virginia Military Institute, William & Mary, Rice, and Maryland, before accepting his first head coaching job in 1973 at The Citadel.

Ross was the 16th head college football coach for the Citadel Bulldogs and held that position for five seasons, from 1973 until 1978.

Ross then spent four years as an assistant coach with the Kansas City Chiefs (1978-81) before returning to the collegiate ranks as head coach at Maryland. He won three Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships while at Maryland. After four years, Ross left Maryland to coach the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. As head coach of Georgia Tech in 1990, he won the National Championship, the ACC Championship, the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

Ross then left to become head coach of the San Diego Chargers, where the highlight of his tenure was San Diego's first trip to the Super Bowl. Ross' first season in San Diego (1992) saw the Chargers earn a playoff berth and claim the AFC West title, their first since 1981.

Following the 1996 season, Ross left the Chargers to become the head coach of the Detroit Lions, a position he held until the middle of the 2000 season.

In 2004, Ross began a three-year term as head coach for Army before retiring from coaching in 2007.

Ross has been inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, VMI Hall of Fame and the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame. One of his most cherished awards came in 1990 when he was named Coach of the Year by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Ross and his wife, Alice, have three sons, two daughters, and 18 grandchildren. Their sons Chris and Kevin graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and Naval Academy, in 1984 and 1988, respectively.

GENE STALLINGS – 2009 WEST COACH

In 1958, Gene Stallings joined “Bear” Bryant's Crimson Tide as an assistant coach for Alabama. At the age of 29, he was named the head coach of Texas A&M and coached the Aggies for seven seasons. Under his tenure, A&M won the Southwest Conference in 1967 and defeated Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.

In 1972, Stallings joined the staff of the Dallas Cowboys under head coach Tom Landry. He remained with the Cowboys for 14 seasons as an assistant.

In 1986, Stallings was named the head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. Stallings was the head coach during the franchise's move to Arizona.

Stallings was then hired by the University of Alabama in 1990. He finished the 1991  season with an 11-1 record, including a 30-25 victory over the University of Colorado in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl.

In 1992, his experienced defensive unit led the team to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the first SEC Championship Game. Alabama defeated the University of Florida 28-21 in this Championship Game, giving Stallings his first SEC title. Following a 34-13 victory over the University of Miami in the 1993 Sugar Bowl, Stallings' 1992 team was the unanimous National Champion in all polls with a 13-0 record.

In 1994, Stallings' team finished the regular season with a record of 11-0, and an 8-0 record in the SEC. In 1996, Stallings’ team won 10 games and earned a berth in the SEC Championship Game. He resigned as head coach on Nov. 23, 1996, and completed his tenure as the coach at the University of Alabama with a 17-14 win over the University of Michigan in the Outback Bowl on Jan.1, 1997.

Stallings has received many awards, including National Coach of the Year and Paul Bryant Coach of the Year, and he was the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year two times. In 2000, Coach Stallings was awarded Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M

University. He was awarded the Legends Award from the All Sports Association in Dallas in 2001. Mr. Stallings has also received many humanitarian awards, including the Arthritis Humanitarian Award of Alabama, National Boys Club Alumni of the Year, Dallas Father of the Year, Humanitarian Award of the Lion’s Club of Alabama, and Paris Boys Club Wall of Honor.

Stallings has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Texas A&M Hall of Fame, Gator Bowl Hall of Fame and Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. He has also received an honorary doctorate degree from Harding University. Stallings serves on the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M system, and the boards of Tandy Brands Accessories, Great Southern Wood, Paris Regional Hospital, as well as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Paris.