Football: Stewart Named Football Coach
January 03, 2008 10:33 AM | General
January 3, 2008
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| Bill Stewart |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - West Virginia University has named Bill Stewart the school’s 32nd football coach immediately.
“He obtained this position the old fashioned way – he earned it,” said Ed Pastilong, WVU Director of Athletics, who made the announcement at the team hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Billy led us to our biggest football victory in the school’s history against Oklahoma and he, his coaching staff and his support staff are outstanding Mountaineers, leading us through a tough time. Our future is bright, and we look forward to even more success under Coach Stewart’s leadership.”
“WVU is a very special place and no one knows that better than Bill Stewart,” said Mike Garrison, University President. “At this University, loyalty and trust are important. We know we now have a coach who truly values the opportunity to work as the head football coach at West Virginia University.”
Stewart, who served as the team’s interim head coach since early December, guided the Mountaineers to their biggest win in the school’s history, a 48-28 victory over No. 3 Oklahoma, in the 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
The length of the contract is for five years and will pay $800,000 per year with added incentives.
“It truly is a pleasure to serve as the head football coach at West Virginia University,” Stewart said. “We have an outstanding group of players already in place and an excellent coaching staff, and I look forward to leading this group of young men and representing the great state of West Virginia.”
Stewart has been on the WVU coaching staff since 2000 when he was on legendary Hall of Fame Head Coach Don Nehlen’s staff in his final season. He has worked with the quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends and coordinated the special teams during his tenure and was named the associate head coach in 2007.
Stewart, a native of New Martinsville, W.Va., came to WVU in January 2000, from the Canadian Football League, where he served as the offensive coordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1999, tutoring two all-conference receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher. As offensive line coach for the CFL’s Montreal Allouttes in 1998, Stewart’s line blocked for Mike Pringle, the first 2,000-yard rusher in CFL history.
A 1975 education graduate of Fairmont State, where he was a three-year letterman and team captain for the WVIAC champions in 1974, Stewart earned a master's degree in health and physical education from WVU in 1977.
Stewart's lengthy coaching resume began at Fairmont, where he was a student assistant coach for a season, before becoming an assistant coach at Sistersville (W.Va.) High School in 1975. In 1977, he moved to Salem College, where he was assistant football and head track coach for two seasons. In 1979, he moved to the University of North Carolina; he was later an assistant at Marshall (1980), William & Mary (1981-83), Navy (1984), North Carolina (1985-87), Arizona State (1988-89) and Air Force (1990-93). In 1994, Stewart became head football coach at VMI, where he was 8-25 over three seasons. His 1995 team was the highest scoring (24.5 ppg) squad in VMI history, and Keydet running back Thomas Haskins set a I-AA rushing record with 5,349 yards.
He and his wife Karen, also a native of New Martinsville, have one son, Blaine.
