'He could teach you anything': Former FSU baseball coach Jack Stallings dies

Jim Henry | Tallahassee Democrat

Even while Jack Stallings coached baseball at Florida State and around the world, his skills extended beyond the dugout.

“He could teach you anything if you wanted to learn it, not just baseball,” said son, Mike Stallings, said Wednesday.

“Whatever we wanted to do, he helped us. He didn’t push his dream on us.”

Jack Stallings, who led FSU to a runner-up finish in the 1970 College World Series, died Wednesday in Tallahassee following a lengthy illness. He was 87.

Stallings coached the Seminoles for six seasons (1969-74), and his ’70 team nearly became the program’s first to win a CWS title.

Southern Cal, coached by Rod Dedeaux, pushed across a run in the bottom of the 15th inning on an infield single to beat FSU, 2-1.

Seminole left-hander Mac Scarce allowed one hit with nine strikeouts in 7.1 innings of relief. However, he had to leave the game in the 15th due to a blister on his left index finger.

The Seminoles’ winning percentage of .839 (49-9-1) that season ranks second all-time in school history.

Stallings coached at Wake Forest (1960-68), FSU and Georgia Southern (1976-91), where he was named the TAAC Coach of the Year four times and Southern Conference Baseball Coach of the Year twice.

His No. 1 jersey was retired at Georgia Southern.

FSU coach Mike Martin recalls receiving a weekly recruiting postcard when he played at Wingate Junior College (N.C.) from Stallings when Stallings was at Wake Forest.

“He did a great job in promoting college baseball,” Martin said. “He was a brilliant baseball coach.”

Stallings also coached in the offseason, traveling to China, Italy, Australia and Nova Scotia, among other stops.

He finished with 1,259 coaching wins to rank 28th on college baseball's all-time wins list.

Though Stallings was confined to a wheelchair and had difficulty communicating, Stallings attended an FSU game in 2017.

“His eyes perked up when you mentioned a player’s name,” said Martin, who has led FSU to its other two second-place finishes at the CWS (1986 and 1999) and is college baseball's all-time winningest coach with 1,987 wins.

Funeral services for Stallings will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Bevis Funeral Home, 200 John Knox Road.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to service.

