Don Nehlen says "A Baboon could win 8 games in the Big East."

[cygnus34]

June 19, 2011

Nehlen weighs in on WVU coaches

By Dave Morrison Sports Editor

CHARLESTON — Former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen probably feels like he is stuck between a rock and a hard place with the recent football situation at WVU.

After all, he was the one who hired Bill Stewart back in 2000, setting in motion a chain of events that would see Stew go from special teams coach to head coach in eight years.

Last week, Stew resigned from the job after a confusing situation, of which the entire truth will likely never be known.

And there’s Oliver Luck, the athletic director who finally ended the sad saga by meeting with Stewart and accepting his resignation.

It was Luck who engineered the coach-in-waiting scenario that went wrong, bringing in Dana Holgorsen and having him serve under Stew, with the understanding that Holgorsen would take over in 2012.

“Well, it’s over now, and we have one coach,†Nehlen said. “I try not to get into all that much. Oliver was my quarterback and my friend. I hired Stew, and he is a friend.

“I feel for Bill because I know he is a good man.â€

Nehlen played for two national titles and was the first coach to lead WVU in a Big East game.

He also says he feels like Holgorsen will be successful.

“I have been impressed by Dana,†Nehlen said. “I don’t know him real well, but what I’ve seen I’ve been impressed by, and I think he’ll do a fine job.â€

Of course, it isn’t exactly Nehlen’s schedule the Mountaineers now face.

He faced the likes of Penn State, Miami (when it was the U) and Virginia Tech yearly.

“Honestly, the league is weak,†Nehlen said. “You could hire a baboon, and you should win eight games. Look at the teams I had to play.â€

He wasn’t downgrading the league coaches, or players. Just stating an obvious fact. And he was right.

West Virginia should, in fact, win at least eight games.

[goodknightfl]

that is a dumb statement.  Everyone knows it takes a chimp. :

[BDYZR]

So Don Nehlen and/or Dave Morrison should be the coach! Eight wins is not a problem...

Of course you gotta choose which is the baboon and which is the A$$

[redbird2001]

Well if a baboon can win 8 games in the Big East then you shouldnt even need a coach in C-USA.

[smazza]

big east is a joke and if usf doesnt at least compete for title next year and win within 3 years holtz needs to go

[GaUSFBull]

Stupid ... Bill Stewart was winning 9 games a year and they canned him. 

[Guest nybullsfan]

Does that make Stew better than a baboon??

[commbull]

It means he got a raw deal.  Was treated very poorly.

[hm101]

if the big east was a stock, id buy.

for instance, in 3 years we'll have

3 years of holgorsen at WVU and graham at Pitt

4 yrs of strong at UL and holtz at USF

a renewed pitt-penn rivalry

TCU

A new TV deal

Facility upgrades across the league, specifically TCU and USF

im not saying this is enough to catch up to the $$, tradition, and records of the likes of the SEC, but i cant think of another conference with those kinds of growth prospects.

[SoFlaEer]

It means he got a raw deal.  Was treated very poorly.

Bill Stewart made (with his coaches show etc) roughly a million per year for the last 3 years, got paid 1.6 million when he retired this year.  for a career assistant coach, not a bad return.  He was in over his head. 

wins and losses cannot possibly tell the whole story - the program was most definitely in decline under stewart's leadership, and his loyalty first to his (imo inept ) offensive coaches instead of the university is what cost him his job.  To almost lose to Marshall says it all.  They didnt even change the team signals, with the former assistant head coach standing on the opposite sideline.  in-game clock management, horrible special teams performance (which stew was the coach of),all led to his demise.  he did to himself.

I think most of the angst by opposing fanbases is because they realize the direction WVU was headed under Stew, and the positive impact it would give to their team when facing WVU with him in charge.