SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 5

(By Senators Beach, Facemire, Kessler, Kirkendoll, Laird, Miller, Palumbo, Plymale, Prezioso, Romano, Snyder, Stollings, Unger, Williams, Woelfel, Yost, Leonhardt and Gaunch)

[Introduced January 19, 2016]

Requesting the Division of Highways name Exit 153 on West Virginia Interstate-79 in Monongalia County, the “Coach Bill Stewart Exit”.

Whereas, William L. “Bill” Stewart, best known as Coach Stew, was born in Grafton, WV on June 11, 1952, to the late Blaine Eugene and Roberta Lee Rutherford Stewart. William L. “Bill” Stewart was a native of New Martinsville, West Virginia. He married the former Karen Kacor on July 1, 1978. He had one son, Blaine. On May 21, 2012, William L. “Bill” Stewart passed away due to an apparent heart attack; and

Whereas, William L. “Bill” Stewart graduated from Fairmont State College in 1975, with a degree in education, where he was a three-year letterman and team captain for the WVIAC champions in 1974. His coaching career began at Fairmont State in 1974, when he was a student assistant coach for a season. One year later he became an assistant coach at Sistersville (W.V.) High School in 1975. In 1994, he assumed the head coaching position at Virginia Military Institute. In three years, he compiled an 8–25 record. Bill Stewart gave current Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin his first job as an assistant at VMI in 1995. Coach Tomlin later returned the favor by vouching for Stewart with the West Virginia University administration; and

Whereas, William L. “Bill” Stewart moved to Salem College in 1977 where he was an assistant football and head track coach for two seasons. In 1979, he was an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina. He has also been an assistant coach at Marshall University (1980), William and Mary (1981–1983), Navy (1984), North Carolina (1985–1987), Arizona State (1988–1989) and Air Force (1990–1993); and

Whereas, In 1998, Bill Stewart served as the offensive line coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. His line blocked for Mike Pringle, the first 2,000-yard rusher in CFL history. In 1999, he moved on to be the offensive coordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers where he coached two all-conference receivers and a one thousand-yard rusher. In 2000 WVU head coach Don Nehlen hired Stewart at WVU in January as the quarterbacks coach. Following the retirement of then Coach Nehlen, Stewart was retained by Rich Rodriguez when he became the head coach after the 2000 season. Stewart remained the quarterbacks coach and special teams coach until 2007 when he moved to coach the tight ends and served as associate head coach; and

Whereas, Following Rodriguez's departure to become the head coach at the University of Michigan on December 16, 2007, Stewart was named interim head coach of the Mountaineers for the 2008 Fiesta Bowl game. In that game Stewart led the team to a 48-28 upset win over the #3 Oklahoma Sooners. During the press conference following the awards ceremony, Fiesta Bowl MVP and West Virginia quarterback Pat White said of Stewart, "He needs that job. He deserves it, the head coaching job”; and

Whereas, On January 3, 2008, a day after the Fiesta Bowl victory, Bill Stewart was announced as West Virginia's 32nd head coach; and

Whereas, It is fitting that we honor on this day William L. “Bill” Stewart, American Football Coach, former WVU Football Coach, family man, friend and man who lived by his Christian faith; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name Exit 153 in Monongalia County on Interstate 79 the “Coach Bill Stewart Exit”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to have made and be placed signs identifying Exit 153 as the “Coach Bill Stewart Exit “ and, be it,

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways and the family of Coach William “Bill” Stewart.