If there was ever anyone that was more unfair to Bill Stewart than me, I'd like to know about it. I said and did things as he was being ushered out the door that were neither classy nor intelligent. The news of his passing today leaves me sad, humbled, and filled with regret. He was a lot more than a football coach. He was loyal to his God and family first. He was a father and a husband and probably the only college football coach in America with the balls to tell you. As cliche as it may sound, he wore that on his sleeve. Although that part of the man was sometimes used as a punchline, the wisdom of his words have never been more true than today.

At what seemed like the lowest point in the Mountaineer Football program he refused pity or anything negative. At least from the outside looking in, he seemed to will the team through every day leading up to the Fiesta Bowl. And for one night, he took the weight of the entire state of West Virginia on his shoulders and gave us something no one could believe was possible. It was no small feat, and he exemplified what we all wish we were like, if just for one day. Remember him for that.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Stewart family and the players he led. He left no doubt.