He was named interim head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan in December 2007.

After leading the Mountaineers to a 48–28 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, he was named the school's 32nd head football coach on January 3, 2008.

Stewart was a 1975 education graduate of Fairmont State College, where he was a three-year letterman and team captain for the WVIAC champions in 1974.

[4] Stewart gave current Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin his first job as an assistant at VMI in 1995.

[6] After what he believed to be excessive celebration by one of his players following a play, he told him "Don't let your actions give people reason to call you a n-----."

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.

During the press conference following the awards ceremony, Fiesta Bowl MVP and West Virginia quarterback Pat White said of Stewart, "He needs that job.

[8] On January 3, 2008, a day after the Fiesta Bowl victory, Stewart was announced as West Virginia's 32nd head coach.

The team finished 9–4 in Stewart's inaugural season with a 31–30 victory over #25 North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Stewart and the coaching staff at WVU opened up the 2009 football season by signing the #23/#27 (Scout.com/Rivals.com) recruiting class,[13][14] which included the #3 quarterback Eugene Smith,[15] the #5 running back Tavon Austin,[16] and the #8 receiver Logan Heastie.

[17] On the field, the Mountaineers had a perfect record at home, including a 19–16 upset of then-#8 Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl.

However, the team's record away from home included three regular season losses (at Auburn, at South Florida, and at Cincinnati).

The Mountaineers also lost in the Gator Bowl versus Florida State in Bobby Bowden's final game as head football coach of the Seminoles.

Stewart coached West Virginia to a second-straight 9–3 regular season record and a share of the Big East title (although the BCS bid went to the University of Connecticut due to a tiebreaker edge).

After collapsing while playing golf with former WVU athletic director Ed Pastilong at Stonewall Resort near Roanoke, West Virginia, he was taken to a nearby hospital in Weston, where he was pronounced dead.