He was the guy who wasn't supposed to be there.
When Rich Rodriguez bolted for Michigan in late 2007, he left a trail of scorched earth in Morgantown. The fans were livid. The players felt abandoned. The program, which had been on the verge of playing for a national championship just weeks prior, was suddenly rudderless. Enter Bill Stewart.
Honestly, nobody expected much. He was the "safe" choice, the interim guy tasked with keeping the bus on the road for one final trip to the Fiesta Bowl. But what happened on that January night in Arizona changed West Virginia football history forever. It turned a career assistant into a state icon—at least for a while.
The Night Bill Stewart Became a Legend
If you ask any die-hard Mountaineer fan where they were on January 2, 2008, they can tell you. West Virginia was a massive underdog against a powerhouse Oklahoma Sooners team. People thought WVU would get embarrassed. Instead, the Mountaineers played like a team possessed.
Pat White was a magician that night. Steve Slaton was a blur. But the soul of that 48-28 blowout was Stewart. His pre-game speech, famously known for the "Leave No Doubt" mantra, became the stuff of local lore. He didn't coach like a man who was afraid to lose his job; he coached like a man who finally had the keys to the Ferrari and wasn't afraid to redline it.
The energy was infectious. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Oklahoma sideline looked shell-shocked.
From Interim to Icon
The university didn't even wait for the plane to land back in West Virginia to make it official. On January 3, 2008, Bill Stewart was named the 32nd head coach of the Mountaineers.
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It was a total "feel-good" hire. Stewart was a native son, born in Grafton and a graduate of Fairmont State. He was "one of us." He loved the state, the people, and the gold and blue with a sincerity that was impossible to fake. For a fan base that felt betrayed by Rodriguez’s "corporate" exit, Stewart was the perfect emotional antidote.
The Hard Reality of the Big East Era
Winning a bowl game is one thing. Running a Top 25 program year-in and year-out is a different beast entirely.
Stewart’s record was actually quite solid. He went 28-12 over three seasons. That’s a .700 winning percentage. Most schools would kill for that. He had three straight nine-win seasons. He coached 30 All-Big East players and saw 18 of his guys get drafted into the NFL.
But the "vibe" in Morgantown started to shift.
The offense, which had been a high-octane machine under Rodriguez, felt like it was idling. Fans grew restless with nine-win seasons that didn't result in BCS bowl bids. There was a nagging feeling that the program was treading water while others were evolving. This tension eventually led to the arrival of Oliver Luck as Athletic Director and the birth of the "coach-in-waiting" disaster.
The Dana Holgorsen Shadow
In late 2010, the administration made a move that was basically a vote of no confidence. They hired Dana Holgorsen from Oklahoma State to be the offensive coordinator for 2011 and then take over as head coach in 2012.
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It was awkward. Actually, "awkward" is an understatement. It was a professional nightmare.
You had Stewart, the old-school, "leave no doubt," "scout's honor" coach, forced to share a building with Holgorsen, the brash, red-bull-chugging air-raid specialist. The two styles didn't just clash; they repelled each other.
The Fall from Grace
The end wasn't pretty. In June 2011, a scandal erupted involving allegations that Stewart had tried to orchestrate a smear campaign against Holgorsen. Reports surfaced that Stewart had asked reporters to dig up "dirt" on Holgorsen’s off-field behavior.
It was a bizarre, sad turn for a man whose reputation had been built on being a "class act."
On June 10, 2011, Stewart resigned. He never got to coach that final season. The transition happened immediately, and the Bill Stewart era was over just as abruptly as it had begun.
A Legacy Cut Short
Tragically, Stewart didn't get much time to enjoy retirement or reconcile with the program. On May 21, 2012, while golfing with a friend, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was only 59.
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The news devastated the state. Despite the messy exit, the players he coached—guys like Pat White, Bruce Irvin, and Pat McAfee—poured out their hearts on social media. They didn't remember the smear campaign or the coaching transitions. They remembered the man who treated them like sons.
What We Get Wrong About Coach Stew
History often remembers the drama, but the numbers tell a different story.
- 9 wins per year: He never had a losing season at WVU.
- The Fiesta Bowl: It remains arguably the greatest single win in school history.
- Recruiting: He laid the foundation for the team that would go on to crush Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl.
He wasn't a tactical genius in the way some modern coaches are. He was a motivator. He was a bridge. He kept West Virginia football from falling into a dark age after 2007.
In 2025, WVU finally did the right thing by posthumously inducting him into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame. It was a moment of closure for his wife, Karen, and his son, Blaine (who followed in his father's footsteps as a coach).
Moving Forward: Lessons from the Stewart Era
Looking back at WVU football coach Bill Stewart, there are a few real-world takeaways for any sports fan or leader:
- Emotional Intelligence Matters: Stewart won the Fiesta Bowl because he knew exactly what his players needed to hear when they were hurting.
- Succession Plans are Dangerous: The "coach-in-waiting" model almost always fails. It creates factions and distrust. If you're going to make a change, make it.
- Wins Aren't Everything: To the players, Stewart’s legacy wasn't his .700 winning percentage. It was his character and the way he treated the "Master Coach" (as he often referred to his faith).
If you want to truly honor his legacy, go back and watch the 2008 Fiesta Bowl highlights. Ignore the messy 2011 exit. Just look at the joy on the sidelines. That was Bill Stewart at his best—a West Virginia native living his absolute dream.
To dive deeper into this era, look up the "Leave No Doubt" pre-game speech on YouTube. It’s the best way to understand why his players would have run through a brick wall for him. You might also want to check out the 2025 Hall of Fame induction ceremony footage to see how the university has finally embraced his complicated but vital place in Mountaineer history.
Actionable Insight: When evaluating a leader's legacy, look beyond the final chapter. Bill Stewart's career reminds us that while the "how" of an exit matters, the "what" of their peak performance often defines the long-term health of an organization. In Stewart's case, he saved a program from certain collapse. That is a fact that outweighs any headline from June 2011.