Back to the Future
February 21, 2008 11:14 AM | General
February 21, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – There has been many changes in the Mountaineer football program since Steve Dunlap last worked at West Virginia University seven years ago in 2000. The Milan Puskar Center, known as the Facilities Building for most the years Dunlap was working here, is almost entirely different today.
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| Steve Dunlap is back for his second stint working with West Virginia's defense.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
There is the Donald J. Brohard Hall of Traditions recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of Mountaineer football throughout the years. There is a beautiful, brand new Academic Performance Center that takes up nearly the entire back portion of the complex. Behind that is more premium seating.
Downstairs construction work is underway on a new team locker room that will eventually house all 130 players in one room with flat-screen televisions, Gameboy stations and all the things that today’s players find appealing. All are impressive sights to behold.
But what has surprised Dunlap the most is not what has happened inside the Puskar Center but instead what has happened outside it. He’s finding out what the rest of us living in Morgantown have known for years: it’s not cheap living here anymore.
“That is unbelievable,” Dunlap said last week. “They’re not giving houses away any more around here are they? I should have just held out and kept my house.”
Dunlap has spent the last seven years coaching at Syracuse, North Carolina State and most recently, at Marshall. Even though his paychecks were coming from different schools his heart has always remained with his alma mater.
Of course the reasons to return were plentiful.
“This is an opportunity to get our family back together,” he said. “We’ve been spread out all over the East coast. That’s the most exciting part for me personally. And then to be back with friends and guys that I believe in, guys I trust; guys I know are good coaches and more than anything good people.”
“And the level we’re at right now is also appealing,” Dunlap said. “We’re at a real high level and we’ve got to work our tail end off to keep it that way.”
Dunlap brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to a defensive meeting room already overflowing with good ideas.
“On the defensive side there is just a wealth of experience. There are three guys that have been coordinators on the Division I level,” Dunlap explained. “The thing that you have to eliminate on staffs is egos. If you can eliminate egos and get guys to work well together that is when good things happen. That’s one of the reasons I did come back because there are not going to be egos. It is always going to be about the best that we can do for the program.”
Dunlap got a first-hand glimpse of the value of cooperation working for Paul Pasqualoni at Syracuse.
“Probably the biggest influence on me from an X and O standpoint was Paul Pasqualoni. He has a tremendous mind and in fact, he’s now the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. He taught me a lot and we kind of hit it off because we both love Xs and Os,” Dunlap said.
Even though Pasqualoni has moved on to professional football the two continue to share ideas over the telephone.
“He’ll call me and he’ll say, ‘What do you think about what the corner is doing in cover two?’” Dunlap says in Pasqualoni’s deep voice. “I get a kick out of that. It was hard to leave him but the knowledge and the experience I gained from him was invaluable.”
Dunlap is also appreciative of the high-quality players he was able to coach at Syracuse, North Carolina State and Marshall.
“I’ve been around a lot of good players and I feel blessed. Dwight Freeney, Mario Williams – he wasn’t too bad. We had a whole bunch of first-round draft picks and even some of the kids we had at Marshall,” Dunlap said. “Everywhere you go you learn something from someone that will make you a better coach if you just learn to keep your mouth shut and listen and look around.”
Five of Dunlap’s seven years away from WVU were spent matching wits against West Virginia and he offers a unique perspective on how the Mountaineer program has grown through the years.
“There are not a lot of Pat White’s out there,” Dunlap explained. “They’re hard to find - they really, really are. That’s what a lot of people don’t realize. You look at the rise of a lot of programs and it’s all about the quarterback. Even traditionally with West Virginia University. In years West Virginia had a great quarterback we had a great team.
“You can name them: Marc Bulger, Major Harris and on and on and on,” Dunlap said. “It’s all about the quarterback. Even Missouri with their quarterback - he took them to heights that they have never been before. If we can keep bringing in the athletic quarterback who can do the things that Pat can do then I think we will continue to have great success.”
Dunlap believes the foundation is in place for continued success with Bill Stewart now steering the program. Stewart has many hidden qualities that Dunlap believes make him an exceptional coach.
“People misconstrue his mild-mannered ways. He’s an intense competitor and he’s very head-strong about the things he believes in and he will convey that to the players,” Dunlap said. “Like he says, ‘I talk softly but I carry a big stick.’ He’s going to do what’s right and he’s going to do what is best for WVU and the people of West Virginia.”
