New football coach Stewart has plans for Northview

Northview principal Ron Snell couldn’t help but be impressed with the organization and planning strategy presented by LaBrian Stewart.

Those traits, along with his experiences as a coach, are among the reasons Stewart is now Northview’s head football coach.

An assistant coach at powerhouse Prattville the last four years and an assistant coach at Northview in 2007, Stewart was hired by the Dothan City School Board Monday night to be the Cougars new head coach and athletic director.

Stewart, who was part of two state titles and a state runner-up team at Prattville, also has previous head coaching experience, guiding Bullock County’s program for three years (2004-06). He was also an assistant at Horseshoe Bend (2002) and his alma mater, Tallassee (2003).

“I am so excited,” Stewart said. “I think it is a great opportunity. I plan to apply the things I have learned from various places. There are great kids at Northview and it is a great community. There is a lot of excitement. I can’t wait to get down there.”

Stewart, in fact, will get down to Dothan today, meeting Cougar athletes and supporters during a 2:45 p.m. assembly at Northview’s James Smith Convocation Center.

He replaces Wayne White, who was relieved of head coaching duties in November after going 7-23 in three years, including a 3-7 record this past season.

Snell said Stewart came to interviews with a three-ring binder plus a 20-page guide entitled Keys to Success with the phrases Discipline, Commitment, Toughness, Effort and Pride outlined on fingers and a thumb.

The binder and guide outlined in detail his plans for athletics and academics, plus a player conduct code, staff goals and daily plans for coaches and players, as well as his philosophies on offense, defense and special teams.

“He has a clear vision from the time they (athletes) enter kindergarten to college,” Snell said. “He has a 16-year plan. LaBrian laid that out and he made it clear that he believes in the student-athlete and that he has high standards and high expectations for the kids.

“He is not just a hard-nosed football coach, although he is, but he understands the student-athlete. His vision is very clear. He has numbers attached, he has checkpoints along the way. He has really thought through how to make it work for the kids.”

Though he spent only one season at Northview in his first tenure, Stewart admitted that year remained close to him.

“I left Northview, but my heart was still there,” Stewart said. “I always kept up with them. I worked with the linemen at the Southeast O-Line camp and tried to watch highlights and I read the Dothan Eagle pretty regularly.”

Conversely, Snell said Stewart left an impression on those at Northview during that short time.

“He was here in 2007-08 and he proved he was for the kids,” Snell said. “He was able to get them scholarships and make connections with colleges. When he stepped on campus, he had an instant connection with kids.”

While his previous time with the school was beneficial, it wasn’t the only factor that helped him land the Cougar job.

“It doesn’t hurt that he has spent the last four years at Prattville,” Snell said, referring to the state championship game experience with the Lions. “He has got A.D. experience, so he understands the administration, understands eligibility and the NCAA Clearinghouse.”

Stewart was the offensive line coach at Prattville during the last three of his four years there. USA Today and Rivals.com both ranked the Lions’ offensive line as the top-rated O-line in the country in high school football.

“There is a lot to that,” Snell said. “That means they are not just good players, but you also to make sure they are qualified and that they clear the Clearinghouse.”

Snell added of Stewart’s hire, “I am real excited about what energy he brings into the athletic program.”

The most immediate objective for Stewart is to get organized with coaches and players.

“First and foremost is to get to the school and get with the other sports and the other coaches and let them know I care,” Stewart said. “I want to get all the other coaches together on the same page as far as rules and procedures. I want to get to know them and to be visible and of course, get the kids into the weight room.”

On the field, Stewart prefers a spread, run-option, no-huddle attack on offense and likes a three-man front on defense with flexibility to run a four-man front.

“I want us to be competitive and put on a good display, basically something that everybody can be proud of,” Stewart said. “I want to help the kids display good sportsmanship – that is most important – and to play with great effort, pride and dignity.

“If they display good sportsmanship, show on up time, I feel everything else with fall in place because we will work.”

Stewart was an offensive and defensive lineman at Tallassee High School where he earned all-state honors as a senior. He then played at Tuskegee University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree.

After graduating from college, he was offensive line coach at Horseshoe Bend (2002) and Tallassee (2003) before taking over as head coach at Bullock County.

After three years at the Union Springs school, he was hired by Chip Harris at Northview in 2007 as offensive line coach. While at Northview, the Cougars went 6-4, the program’s best record since 1999, and averaged 24.7 points a game on offense, also the best since 1999.

Stewart was then hired by Prattville in 2008 as defensive line coach. He became Prattville’s offensive line coach a year later.

The new Cougar coach realizes that Northview has had limited success in recent years, but sees a lot of potential.

“I will be able to bring in a lot new ideas,” Stewart said. “They are hungry to win and it can be done. We will have to work hard. Dothan reminds me a lot of Prattville. Dothan is a football town.”