PITTSBURGH — Don't tell this to anyone at Pitt: One of new West Virginia coach Bill Stewart's biggest fans coaches right next door to the Panthers.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is only two days away from coaching his first NFL playoff game, but he took a few minutes Thursday to praise Stewart — the man who gave him his first assistant's job, as the wide receivers coach at VMI in 1995.

Tomlin spent only one season under Stewart, who was so impressed with Tomlin as a player at William & Mary that he added him to his staff only a few months after Tomlin's college career ended.

Tomlin said he learned much in that single season from Stewart, a longtime assistant coach who was unexpectedly hired by West Virginia hours after leading the Mountaineers to a 48-28 rout of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday night.

Stewart appeared to hug everyone in sight who was wearing Mountaineers gold and blue after the stunningly one-sided game, displaying the passion and love for the sport that, to Tomlin, is Stewart's biggest strength.

"He's a special man in my life for a lot of reasons. He gave me my first job. He showed me how to express the love and enthusiasm I have for this game as a coach," Tomlin said. "He cares about people. It oozes out of his everyday existence. He's an awesome coach, an awesome man, and I'm extremely happy for him."