The PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE reports today that new West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart has “been a head coach once before, going 8-25 at Virginia Military Institute in 1994-96, before leaving there in a cloud of controversy. Stewart was accused in ‘96 of calling a Keydets player a racial slur in an October practice. The coaches and players cleared the air, many said afterward, but a school investigation resulted in Stewart’s resignation.”

One of Stewart’s defenders at the time was a former VMI graduate assistant under Stewart, who claimed he never heard Stewart use a racial slur. That former GA was current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Tomlin told the Daily Press of Newport News, Va., “Stew was a very volatile guy. He was high-strung. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to get upset or excited at practice. But this caught me off guard. He was more than fair to me. He took care of me. He hired me to coach his receivers when I had no coaching experience.”

This is an example of what happens when a school rushes into a hire. Bill Stewart was the best WVU could do? Mark Mangino anyone? Chris Peterson? Jim Leavitt? Brian Kelly? Hello?

We’re not saying those coaches would’ve considering the WVU gig, but at the very least, there had to be someone out there without that kind of stain on his resume. Especially if you are going to hire an assistant.

And if you don’t believe us, believe DiamondBacks Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick, a West Virginia Univ. donor, on the school promoting Bill Stewart to head football coach: “I’m disappointed he was chosen. I felt the university was in position, based on the success they had and the players who were returning, they could have gotten someone better.”

Kendrick just donated $1M to the school after West Virginia fans failed to purchase 7,500 tickets of its Fiesta Bowl allotment.  And he pulled a potential $12M donation because of the circumstances surrounding Rodriguez’s firing.