Published: April 27, 2009 01:00 am      

A Cinderella story

A look at WVU coach Stewart’s career

Bill Stewart’s start as the head football coach at West Virginia University has all of the elements of a Cinderella story — the hometown boy gets thrown into a head coaching job for one of the top football programs in the country. He leads them to a victory in which 84 percent of the nation thought was impossible.

However, there was a lot more to Bill Stewart’s coaching career before that remarkable Jan. 2, 2008, victory.

The New Martinsville native had his fair share of coaching jobs before landing what he has called his dream job. Stewart got his first coaching job as an assistant at Salem College in 1977. He continued as an assistant at a number of schools, including North Carolina, Marshall, William and Mary, Arizona State and Air Force. In 1994, Stewart became the head coach at Virginia Military Institute (VMI.) He had a very poor record of 8-25 at VMI and left after three seasons to coach football in Canada.

In 2000, former head coach Don Nehlen hired Stewart as the quarterbacks’ coach at West Virginia University. Nehlen retired at the end of the season, but Stewart was kept on the staff by newly hired head coach Rich Rodriguez. He continued as the quarterbacks coach and took on special teams. During his time at WVU, he was promoted to assistant head coach. In December of 2007, upon Rodriguez’s abrupt departure, Stewart was named interim head coach of West Virginia University. Stewart coached the Mountaineers to what has been often called the biggest victory in school history. The Mountaineers defeated the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners with a final score of 48-28. In his MVP acceptance speech, quarterback Pat White sold Stewart as a candidate for the head coaching job.

“Coach Stew stepped in and did an excellent job,” said White in the speech. “I think I speak for all of the players when I say that he needs to be our head coach at West Virginia.”

The relationship between a coach and his players is a unique one. The coach must act as a friend, parent and disciplinarian. Stewart prides himself in the relationship he creates with his players.

Patrick and I are very close,” admitted Stewart. “I’m like a mother hen to these boys. I call them and make sure they’re eating right, sleeping enough, that they’re healthy.”

Not only does Stewart act as a second father to the more than 100 members of the Mountaineer football team, but he is also the father to a 14-year-old boy, Blaine. Blaine attends St. Francis Central Catholic School where he plays football, basketball and football.

“I’m very proud of Blaine,” said Stewart. “Not only is he way more athletic than I was, but he’s very respectful.”

When Stewart is not coaching football, a task that takes up close to 10 months a year, he loves to spend time with his family. On a Saturday in mid-March, Stewart coached his team in an early morning scrimmage and then took the rest of the day off to be with family.

“We went to Mass,” said Stewart. “Then we went to a movie. Blaine went to a movie with his friends, and I went to a movie with my bride. I’m usually a fan of old country westerns, but we went to see “Duplicity” with Julia Roberts because that’s what my bride wanted to see. It was good.”

Stewart had little time to prepare for his first season as the head coach at West Virginia University. After being hired in January, he had to build a coaching staff and work on recruiting. Although most of the coaches left upon his hiring, two of his colleagues stayed the course with Stewart. Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Casteel and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich were the first two members to Stewarts coaching staff.

“Obviously, (Stewart) is a good guy and someone who understands West Virginia and what it takes to be here,” said Casteel. “With my situation staying here, it was a good opportunity because my family is here. He has brought in a good staff and the guys are working hard. Hopefully, we will continue to get better than we were this time last year.”

Once it was time for his debut season, Stewart had his coaching staff assembled and recruiting class signed. Stewart had a solid first season with key victories over Auburn and Connecticut. The Mountaineers ended their regular season with a 8-4 record and an invitation to the Meineke Car Care Bowl against North Carolina. The Mountaineers defeated the Tar Heels 31-30 ending their season 9-4 and giving Stewart a 2-0 bowl record.

As Stewart prepares for his second season as the Mountaineers’ head coach, he is working with a young team after losing the likes of White and other members of the Mountaineers’ most winning class in history. Stewart continues to exude the loyalty that Mountaineer fans desire in their head coach. If Stewart can keep his hometown quality as well as winning records, it seems as though he will be the perfect match for WVU.