ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603280038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
BILL STEWART REVAMPS HIS DEPLETED STAFF by adding several assistants who have Division I coaching experience.
It used to be VMI had trouble keeping personnel in its football program, but in his 2 1/2 years as the Keydets' head coach, Bill Stewart has reversed that trend. Sort of.
While Stewart virtually has stamped out the yearly player attrition, he's seen eight assistant coaches come and go. Five have left since the 1995 season; three for Division I-A jobs and two for I-AA.
Defensive coordinator Tom Throckmorton went first, joining friend Phil Elmassian as the linebackers coach at Boston College. Offensive line coach Bob Solderitch left for his alma mater, William and Mary, to be closer to his 4-year-old son. Two weeks ago, just after Stewart had promoted him to be Throckmorton's replacement, defensive backs coach Danny Hammerschmidt left for his alma mater, Colorado State.
In addition to the full-time departures, restricted-earnings coaches Dan Quinn and Mike Tomlin also are gone; Quinn is now in charge of the defensive line at Hofstra and Tomlin will work with defensive backs at Memphis.
Two of the departures came a week before spring drills, which began March 21. ``The only thing that concerned me was timing,'' Stewart said. ``I have moved, so for me to tell some guy, `No, you can't go back to your alma mater,' would be hypocritical and unfair. My mom and dad didn't raise me to be like that. Anytime a guy can advance himself in this business, then I certainly want to do everything I can.''
Last year, Stewart left Lexington at noon one day and drove to Morgantown, W.Va., to push his old offensive line coach, Billy Legg, for the same position at WVU. At 5:10 p.m., he walked into athletic director Ed Pastilong's office and later into coach Don Nehlen's office. Legg got the job soon after. Two other coaches, Michael Clark and Allan Gerber, also left that spring.
``I don't look at it as a flood or anything, I don't look at it as a jailbreak,'' Stewart said. ``I don't like being a breeding ground for other schools, but I tell you what, it's a great compliment to VMI. I'm not turning cartwheels, but I'm very proud.''
He also is excited about the new assistants he's hired. Rob Stanley, formerly of Division II Ashland (Ohio) University, will coach the offensive line. Stanley, a Farmville native, played at Ferrum College in 1978 and 1979 before matriculating at Randolph-Macon.
Don McCaulley, who coached with Stewart at William and Mary in 1983 and has been the defensive coordinator at Utah, Weber State and Chico (Calif.) State, will coach linebackers. George Foussekis, a 1968 graduate of Virginia Tech who spent a career coordinating defenses at the Division I-A level, is working part-time as a restricted-earnings coach.
Foussekis is in Tech's Hall of Fame and coached at Maryland from 1972-91. He almost joined the Hokies' coaching staff in 1992 as defensive tackles coach, but turned it down and has been out of coaching since. ``He's going to do it for a year and see if he wants to get back into it full-time,'' Stewart said. ``So we're tickled.''
Marlon Anderson, a senior wide receiver on last year's team, will be a student assistant. Stewart's new defensive coordinator should be in place by May.
``It's like in recruiting,'' Stewart said. ``Every year I stand before our football team and say, `Fellas, we're thrilled that each of you are here and we love each and every one of you. But we're not going to go out and sign a lesser athlete or person than what we have. We're going to go out and try to find one better.'
``When a coach leaves, I'm going to go find as good or better. We have done that.''
Stewart said the subtractions and additions haven't revealed any problems with continuity or communication between the coaches and players. He said the changes have lent a fresh feeling to the spring and have given some young players positive outlooks.
``This coach doesn't know you from Adam,'' he said. ``He doesn't remember that ball you dropped or the block you missed.''
``Right now, as a staff, I think everyone's on the same page,'' said Stanley. ``Coach Stewart is a very good communicator. The best thing is he gives you the opportunity to coach. When I got here a month ago, he said, `My number one job is to motivate. Your job is to coach.'''
Adding to the optimism are new offensive and defensive schemes the Keydets are employing. Option plays have been added to the offense to allow quarterback Al Lester to run more. The defense has switched from an eight-man front to a 4-3 alignment. The VMI coaches were in Charlottesville on Sunday to watch Virginia's defense run it.
Stewart has been most pleased with the play of his tight ends, Greg Harris, Justin Malloy and Jason Crowder, and his linebacking corps. And while All-America running back Thomas Haskins has gotten faster thanks to his work with the track team, ``The defense is stoning the offense right now. That's the way it should be, but it hasn't been that way.''
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM/Staff. VMI head football coach Bill Stewartby CNBsays when someone leaves you replace them with someone better.
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