Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 7, 1994 TAG: 9401070021
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Long
\ Take a glance at Bill Stewart's resume and one word appears in conspicuous abundance. It's in there 10 times to be exact.
In 18 years as a football coach, Stewart has become an expert on the word "assistant."
He has moved so many times, his wife's grandmother was prompted to ask: "When is Billy going to get a job and quit playing?" That was 1988, after Stewart took assistant job No. 9, at Arizona State.
"I said, `Ma'am, I'm going to get me a job some day.' I wish she were still here. I'd tell her I've got a good job; I've got the best job in America," Stewart said Thursday after being introduced as VMI's new head coach.
Before arriving at Air Force in 1990, Stewart, 41, was an assistant at Arizona State (1988-90), North Carolina (1979 and 1985-87), Navy (1984), William and Mary (1981-83), Marshall (1980) and Salem, W.Va. (1977-78). He was going "100 mph" as he revealed his plan for turning around a program that has gone 24-73-2 in nine years under its past two coaches.
"We're not going to dwell on the negatives," said Stewart, whose speech was filled with superlatives. "I don't see negatives. I see maybe a problem, but I see a problem that can be solved."
One quick fix will be chucking the Wishbone offense, trademark of the Keydets for the past five years under Jim Shuck, who was dismissed Dec. 7. Stewart coached the defensive line the past three years at the Air Force Academy, where head coach Fisher DeBerry also uses the Wishbone.
Stewart said he would employ a Multiple I offense and combine passing with the option.
"The Wishbone has been very good to us [at Air Force] - very, very good," he said. "It's just not Bill Stewart's personality. . . . It's not that we're not going to run something. We're just going to do what I believe in, what I've done best. We're going to find somehow, some way to run the Multiple I."
Stewart said he would run the Keydets' offense and keep a hand in the defense, where his philosophy is simple: "I like to attack."
"Defensively, we're going to strap it on and come getcha. We're going to pound the rock, pound the rock, pound the rock and sooner or later that rock is going to have a crack in it."
Davis Babb, VMI's athletic director, said Stewart had agreed to a multiyear contract, terms of which have not been released, although it was reported to be a five-year deal. Stewart is in the process of hiring assistant coaches and could have his staff completed as soon as next week.
Mike Clark, the Keydets' defensive coordinator last season, likely will be the only assistant retained from Shuck's staff. Stewart would not comment on who he was considering, but he said his choices could surprise some people and could include coaches with experience at VMI.
"What I believe these young men need is a gentleman that cares, a person they can trust and a man that is committed to winning. I have dedicated my life to that. I want people around me who feel the same way, and that's the kind of staff we're going to have around here," Stewart said.
In recent years, VMI has placed heavy emphasis on recruiting more players from Virginia. Babb described Stewart as a strong recruiter with a multitude of coaching contacts in the state.
"Recruiting is going to be key," Babb said. "We're going to have a good staff that will work hard to bring in good players. The focus will be on the state of Virginia. We're going to force the blue-chippers to tell us no. But our roster will not be 100 percent Virginia."
Stewart said he looks for recruits with character and self-esteem.
"I want kids who know that honesty and trust is a two-way street," he said. "I'm a people guy, I'm a guy who cares for kids and I'm not afraid to work. . . . I believe I can do what this institute wants me to do - and that is to attract quality young people. I believe that with all my heart.
"We need to hit the state of Virginia. We're going to do it. We don't have a lot of time, but we're going to hit it and we're going to hit it hard.
"Not every youngster has a burning desire to attend this institute. I understand that; I can live with that. But maybe if we can tell them about it, maybe if we can get them down here to meet our kids, then maybe we can get a few more to play the game."
Stewart said every current Keydet had a new lease on life and that no position was secured, although he plans on playing a lot of people.
"We're not going to yell at them; we're not going to slap them upside the head," Stewart said. ". . . Am I going to give them heck? Yeah, buddy. We're going 100 mph on that field. That's just my philosophy."
VMI was 1-10 last year and has not had a winning season since 1981, when the Keydets were 6-3-1 and finished second in the Southern Conference. Stewart said he had no timetable for establishing a winning program.
"I just want to go get good kids ready, let them play and just let them have a ball. That's my timetable," he said. "I want to do it right and put them in the most advantageous situation I can where they can have success."
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.