OT: Former WVU coach Bill Stewart dead

Submitted by UMxWolverines on
Apparently of a heart attack. RIP and prayers to his family. He sure got the shaft at WVU.

RowoneEndzone

May 21st, 2012 at 3:38 PM ^

Wow, RIP Bill.  He was put in a very hard position by his school and did pretty well despite the odds.  It's a shame what he tried to do to Holgorsen though.  

Hardware Sushi

May 21st, 2012 at 3:45 PM ^

RIP Bill Stewart...

...but he did not get the shaft. He probably shouldn't have been hired in the first place but WVU's administration, boosters, and fans were riding some wacky emotional rollercoaster following the loss to Pitt, the loss of RichRod, and the BCS bowl win.

I think it's clear he made his own bed regarding the end of his tenure at West Virginia by leaking inside information about the coach-in-waiting to outside media in an attempt to undercut WVU's succession plan.

exmtroj

May 21st, 2012 at 7:30 PM ^

Very true. The new book 'Waiting for the Fall' chronicles the whole Bill Stewart era pretty in-depth (as well as the WVU RR era. It's a very good book). He was a great and loyal guy, but the program was pretty lackluster when he was the head coach.

DoubleB

May 22nd, 2012 at 2:17 AM ^

Luck needed to either nut up and fire the man (after going 28-12 in 3 seasons) or keep him and allow him to coach. The one-year planned shotgun marriage between Holgorsen and Stewart was a terrible idea that put both coaches in an awful spot, particularly Stewart. "Hey, you get to be coach for one more year and then we're putting you out to pasture. Treat the new guy well." What would you have done?

bronxblue

May 21st, 2012 at 3:54 PM ^

What a tough loss. Guy read not that old, and by all accounts seemed like a good man who stepped into a tough spot. Condolences to his family and WVU

M-Wolverine

May 21st, 2012 at 4:17 PM ^

Did anyone else see this post and wonder if something strange had happened down there? I wouldn't have been shocked to see foul play or a suicide or something. Mainly because it's so unthinkable to have natural causes take out a guy so young. Very sad.  It's amazing that even going through the high stress environment of coaching how many coaches die shortly after getting out of it.  

Tater

May 21st, 2012 at 6:31 PM ^

I'm gonna have to take the ol' tinfoil hat off for this one.  Stewart went to a job in which he was overwhelmed.  He had to work 100-hour weeks.  Then, he was involved in a bitter power struggle, which, of course, he lost.  

No grand conspiracy here.  This was just too much stress and too old of a heart to take it.  

RIP.

befuggled

May 22nd, 2012 at 12:53 PM ^

59 is relatively young but it's not that young. He had a stressful job, made that much more stressful by the Holgorsen situation. He may have been bitter about getting fired (and considering the way that happened I would be surprised if he wasn't). He may have felt he didn't have anything to live for.

If he'd had any other bad health factors (e.g., Type 2 diabetes he hadn't kept in control), this wouldn't be surprising at all.

Benoit Balls

May 21st, 2012 at 4:24 PM ^

As a person who woke up one morning like it was any other day and then got a phone call at work that his 52 year old Father was dead of a heart attack, I know how awful it is. Godspeed Mr. Stewart, my prayers are now with your family.

Butterfield

May 21st, 2012 at 4:42 PM ^

Had his team all sorts of fired up for the Fiesta Bowl v. Oklahoma in January '08, Sam Bradford didn't know what hit him.  May perpetual light shine upon him. 

Brown Bear

May 21st, 2012 at 4:44 PM ^

I'll be honest, I thought he was much older than 59.
Did a nice job with RR's team for a bit, then took all the good he did and threw it out the window by trying to shit on Holgerson.
RIP

Heinous Wagner

May 21st, 2012 at 5:34 PM ^

, , ,from John Radcliff at Smoking Musket. His words of regreat are cautionary to anyone to those who criticize public figures on the record. He is now eating his harsh words about Stewart, and they don't taste good at all. 

manchild56

May 21st, 2012 at 5:37 PM ^

big time coaches do not last very long when the retire or fire, I would think the stress of the job and the 16 hour days can't help. RIP Bill Stewart

Louie C

May 22nd, 2012 at 12:55 AM ^

RIP Mr. Stewart. As a tribute, Chunkums should rock that  old avatar he/she had of Stewart looking like he smelled a really bad fart. I always enjoyed that.