PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast - What's it like to be married to Jeff Stoutland, the Eagles' GOAT offensive line coach?

Episode Date: June 28, 2025

As part of our Jeff Stoutland Appreciation Day, Allison Stoutland joined the PHLY Eagles podcast to relive the winding road of being married to a football coach, from the lack of time with the family to the long string of relocations before finally settling down in Philadelphia, where Stout has earned the love of Eagles fans everywhere. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Very excited now to welcome to the show. Who knows Jeff Stoutland the best? Well, that would be Allison Stoutland, his wife. Hi. How are you? Good. How are you? We are very good. Thank you so much for joining us.

You're welcome. It's a pleasure. So what do you remember about, we were just playing some audio from a conversation with Greg Blaydorn, back from Cornell. I was listening. What do you remember about the beginning of this journey for your husband? I remember when the Cornell offensive linemen came for dinner and they broke my dining room table. Knapped it in half because you should never have that large of men all around the table leaning. Oh, no.

There was a learning curve. I've been married to him for, I think, 30. I don't know, one, two, or three years. I'm not sure. It's very different now. That was at the beginning. I mean, I've, I mean, we started in college. And I mean, everyone thinks it's so glorious and it's glamorous and, you know, and it's not being a coach's wife to a coach.

Pretty much means that you are doing everything solo. Yeah. raising kids, moving, packing, finding a new home, fixing the home, selling the home, going to the games, living. And I didn't really know what I was fully getting into. But most football coaches are just, coaches in general are just so dedicated that you can't really get angry at them for it. You can hold the grudge, but you really shouldn't be angry.

Yeah, I was going to ask you about. that and it's it's it's nice to see you Allison is is that these past 13 years our our viewers associate Jeff with Philadelphia right it's been 13 years but bow just read the career itinerary before then and whether it's Tuscaloosa Miami East Lansing Syracuse you go on all throughout I mean what's it been like what was it like before you settled in Philadelphia having to go destination that destination horribly difficult. I don't think that the general public, I mean, I married a coach and I had no idea. You know, I often hear people say things like, you know, oh, he loves his players and, you know,

he's so dedicated to them. And that's true. He spends more time with his players than he does with his own family. So yeah, he loves them because he's always with them. And when we get him at the end of a day, which a day can be from 5 a.m. till 11 p.m. He hasn't seen us because we're young kids and a wife who's exhausted. And so he spends most of his time with the team that he's coaching with at the time. So at the beginning, it was college. and that was recruiting, which is a beast.

I hope never to go back to college again, especially the way recruiting is now. That's its own hell. But it's the never-knowing if, you know, you win enough games, if you stay, if you win too many games, you leave because someone else wants you. If you lose too many games and you're just let go, or they just decide to change gears, hire a new head coach, and are you retained,

and where are you going and your kids starting high school, and do you go with your husband, do you stay back? They're on a team. The team is winning. Do you leave? Do you move? Do you sell? Do you rent?

I mean, it's unbelievable. So, yes, I think, what is it, 11 or 13 years here in Philly? This will be 13 years here. Yeah, I was almost right. It's such an honor. First of all, it's an honor to be part of anything, Philly. I was scared when we got here. You know, the rumors really, they could scare the life at you.

But I couldn't love it anymore. I've loved every place for different people and different reasons. Education, doctors, a hairdresser, a neighbor, the color of the school looked good on me. the winds felt great, you know, all of those things. The head coach was remarkable. But to be able to spend 13 years in one location, and for me to be able to say, like, this is home is the greatest feeling. And to be here in Philly with these fans, I mean, they're lunatics.

They're just like family. I mean, they only want the best for you. They hold your toes to the fire. and it's it's just been a remarkable journey even when things weren't really great they were just honest and that's all you want from someone just be honest with me you know and you know we're from new york so we can take it yes i think be honest with me is is kind of a good coaching piece of advice right like that's that i would imagine that that is that is how stout approaches the job but to circle back if you if you meet a uh a brand new uh a brand new uh

newlywed of a coach, and she's barking on this journey. What is your advice? Well, we just had a bridal shower for two girls who are becoming coaches-wise. And like this, because everybody gets married in this month. This is the only time you can get married. This is your window to be a family, this one month, right? Yes, I mean, I think my anniversary is tomorrow. I think.

Every coach is married during this little bit of time. And so one of the wives said, give us your best advice. And it was almost spiritual what each wife said and their advice, because you don't know till you're in it. And you have to learn through it. You know, it's like rookies. You have to like make all the mistakes. I mean, I actually used to make dinner and like wait for him to come home.

That doesn't happen anymore. You have to be independent. you have to be strong. You have to raise kids to be able to be the new kid in the school and go into a building where everyone's gone to school together and they're brand new. You have to learn your way around town. You have to make friends with people. You have to turn a blind eye to the jerk that lives in the neighborhood that just won't shut up. You have to do it all.

It's hard. but it's super rewarding especially if you went a Super Bowl or two. That wasn't too shabby. At the start of the show, we played clips from Brandon Brooks and Jason Kelsey and them growing emotional, talking about not just the coaching, but the connection that they had.

And our viewers were getting emotional watching it. And it's interesting as you speak about the bridal shower, you know, for a lot of these guys, Jeff saw them when they were in the early 20s and maybe before they were married, before they were fathers. He's seen some of these guys go through really difficult periods of their lives. And Jeff was a constant through them. And the players credit him for helping them get through that. So what's your perspective of that?

And also, how does that manifest itself at home as well? Well, they're not lying. he is absolutely dedicated to his players, the players that get drafted, the players that start, the players that are pickups, the players who may never see live action time on the field, he works just as hard with,

they're all the same to him. You know, you're one step away or one play away from going in. He is devoted to them. And that was something I was always attracted to and admired from when we were dating because he was like a teacher and I was a teacher so that was like

our common thing and he always loved his players and he loves his children too I mean they're just big bigger children I could never birth an offensive line thank God but that's just what they are I mean

their family we know their birth dates we know their people we know their spouses we've seen them date we've seen them grow up we've seen them make mistakes. And Jeff is always, well, he's always at the office. But if he's not, he is a call away from help. And we've gotten calls, sad calls, heartbreaking calls, scary calls, but they know he's right there for them. So that's not malarkey at all. Like that's not some 13-year act he's been pulling off. This is just who he is. And he's not ever going to change.

I've tried changing things. It just won't happen. He's just Jeff Stoutland. Now, to that point, we so casually refer to him as the best position coach in football. You know, every Eagles fan is so grateful for him. Talking to you, I have a feeling this is not a problem, but how do you make sure in the house that he doesn't get too big of a head? Yeah, that's not a problem.

You guys could worry about something else. We got that handled at our house. And, you know, to be fair to him, he doesn't have a big heck. He, he, he recognizes it. He notices it. It's over the years, I think Philadelphia and Jeff Stoughton have become like maybe a couple. And like I'm on the outside looking in now. I mean, they adore him.

They love him. I mean, the things people say when like you're just like running into wah-wah for coffee, I mean, it will make you cry. And people are so grateful and thankful. And he is oblivious, really. I mean, he notices he gets stopped more and people would be like, go bird. Like they panic. They're like, go birds.

And then they're like, and I think to myself, like, he's just a regular dude. And he is. But he is the fortunate one to have found what he was put on this earth to do. And our kids always say, it's so hard. to pick what we want to do. Because, like, you and dad just love your jobs. And most people don't. And, like, really?

This is going to sound wrong, but it's right. And I'm going to say it, and I'll probably be sorry. But it's the only job that he was put on this earth to do. You know, like, it's what he does best of all. And he's so fortunate to have figured it out, you know? As a follow up to that, I could use some advice here because the impetus of this show, is that he's winning the Dr. Zee, Paul's the Zimmerman Award for Lifetime Achievement as an assistant coach.

And I have this award in my house to present to him during training camp. A, is he aware that he's going to win it? And B, is he going to accept this through gritted teeth? Is it going to be something that he doesn't want to show the significance of it? Like, I guess what advice would you have for me to present this award to Jeff? okay well that's like that's hard i'm like 60 something so like i got to go back there were three questions in that map that you just gave me next so first of all the timing of when you present that is everything you better not try to do it during minicamp can't do it on you can't you really you should

just call him today because he didn't know about it someone told him about it and he didn't know what they were talking about and he dismissed them with some kind of a snide like narrow you know and moved right on to probably breaking down film he's he's honored it's absolutely an honor but you know his father taught him to just put your head down do the job do the job you were hired to do and the rest will take care of itself and that's been the impetus for his entire career I know that there are coaches, and not that this is bad. This is how all people work. You do the job to get the next job, to get the better job, to move your way up. And Jeff has never been that person. It's they hired me to do this job, and I'm going to do it the best of my ability. And everything

has kind of fallen into place. So yes, he is honored by it. He thinks it's crazy. I think it's crazy too. I'm honored and happy for him, but the timing of you presenting it, and don't take it personally. I try to present stuff to him all the time. I've been with them 30-something years, and I still haven't figured it out. So good luck. And if you find out when the time is, tell me. Absolutely.

Because we have you, Allison, I need to ask you, because this is something that Zach and I have been talking about, you are, if people are unaware, an accomplished children's book author. So, Zach and I have, I have been trying to explain to Zach that to write a children's book is more difficult than writing a regular book because you have to be so perfect with your word choices. You have to, you have to edit, you have to be economical. Every word has to matter. Please explain to Zach why that is. Oh, Zach, well, you and I should have coffee sometime. because I was a kindergarten teacher.

I was born a teacher. So being the teacher and then writing the book was really just my teaching words put into book form. But yes, word choice is everything, which is why the publishers wouldn't accept me. They told me the word survive was too big for a five-year-old. And I was so offended. I yelled at them. I'm like, but if you don't use it, when will they learn it? Amen.

So we self-published. So, yes, word choice is important, but I am working on an adult book. Oh, how do you find it? I find it very confusing. I have too many characters. I can't focus. I just have too many other things to do. So that's my new goal this year.

I did. I wrote four children's books. We can workshop this right now if you want to talk. What, you know, let's talk. Well, yeah, once we're off, let's talk. How's about that? That would be great. Yeah.

I think that sounds great. Go ahead. Yeah. What's so, well, I admire the children's book. Bose joking because I've written three books and I say that my family says I should write a children's book. And I said when I read my. As if that would be so easy. When I read my children's book, I said the word count here is much more desirable.

But I respect that. I am curious because we have we have dedicated a show to Jeff. And we, you know, both Bo and I have now going on the 13 years. But and the audience knows him, like you said. But what's something that they don't know? What's something that they should know about Jeff Stoutland? Well, I don't know if I should share that. He probably wants it that way.

That's good answer, right? That's what he wants to say. Yeah, good answer. But that's not what I'm going to say. He is a foodie. Okay. He loves pizza. Okay.

He makes the most delicious clams and linguine. Now we're talking. With white sauce. So phenomenal. It's my daughter's death meal. Okay. Do you know what those are? Yes.

Oh, sure. It's the meal you eat if you know it's your last. Zupitapesh is great. And he's an ice cream fiend. Not like Doug Peterson. Okay. He was something else. But yeah, he's got a problem with the ice cream.

Yeah. He's also super sentimental. mental. Okay. That's good. I don't know that he wants everyone to know that. And he's also rough and miserable and cranky and, you know, the offensive line like her kind of thing. A full spectrum of human emotion. He's got it all. And we only get to see like a very tiny bit of it. His players, they'll always say to me, how do you do it? And I said, well, thanks to you. I don't have to do it, do I? Because you do. Do you ever catch him?

Do you ever catch him like coaching people in the house? Oh, yeah. He tried that one. Didn't fly? No. He does his job and I do my job. And really, when he gets home after work, he is like a zombie. Like there's not too much left at the end of that day if we even are awake.

Like on a Friday night, they come home and they have dinner. I mean, sometimes you're not, he's there, but he's not even there. So we've learned how to, we've learned how to deal with that. So he's not coaching when he comes home. He's got nothing left at the end of the day. Well, Allison, you have been so generous with your time. You have, you have been willing to give us part of your time in this one month when you actually get to be a family. So thank you so much for doing that.

it has been a true pleasure. Thank you so much. It was fun talking to you guys. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Thank you so much. I imagine Stad is not going to watch this show, but you can tell him that you did a great job.

No. No, I won't even tell him. No, it's all good. This is just me and you guys having some, you know, cheater chats, fine. You should know that the... You can tell them when you see him when you give him that award. Good luck.

Absolutely. And the fans, you should know, who are in the chat are, They're eating you up. They're over the moon with your performance. Well, I really, I love the fans in Philadelphia. I will stand up and fight for any one of them at any time. Really.

And that is all that they ask for. That is beautiful. For fans, hands down. And we've been a lot of places. This one's the best. Yeah, I mean, I'll, I'll, yeah. Yeah. In this studio, we've had everyone from Brandon,

Brooks, DeVinny Curry. I think this is the audience's favorite interview we've done in the two years of the show. So thank you. Really? I think we need to get you a show, is what I think. Well, let's work on the book first. Okay, boys? All right. Thank you so much, Allison. All right. Really, thank you again. Of course.