Will Stein’s family celebrates new head coaching job at UK
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - It’s been a roller coaster of a week for Big Blue Nation. Just hours after Kentucky fired head coach Mark Stoops on Monday, they quickly announced the hiring of Louisville native Will Stein.
WAVE News caught up with his mother and aunt, who own a bake shop in St. Matthews, to talk about the excitement this week has brought.
“When I saw his name, his picture come up on my phone, it was about 11:30, and I went back to our back room here,” Debbie Stein, Will’s mother, said. “He said I’m going to be a Wildcat, and with that, I was just absolutely elated.”
For the Stein family, Christmas has come early.
On Monday, it was announced that Louisville’s own Will Stein is coming home to the Bluegrass State, taking the top coaching position at U.K.
Stein comes from the University of Oregon, where he’s been the offensive coordinator for the last three seasons.
“You know it’s 2,000 miles to Oregon,” Debbie Stein said. “But now to have him just 70 miles up the road and I have two grand babies, so that just makes it even sweeter.”
The Stein family knows a thing or two about sweets. Will’s mother and his aunt Blakey own SissyCakes in St. Matthews.
They’ve been cranking out sweet treats, including the famous Orange Juice Cake.
“It has been absolutely bedlam here at SissyCakes, everybody is very excited to order an Orange Juice Cake, I mean, we’ve already been on an upward trajectory, but with all this added press and excitement for Coach Stein and BBN... he absolutely loves this cake.”
“One of our customers came in with a bottle of blue champagne as a congratulations,” Blakey Martin said. “It has been very much a celebratory environment here at SissyCakes the whole week.”
Though coach Stein was born and raised in Louisville, playing for UofL and launching his coaching career with the Cards, his mother says he’s always been a Big Blue fan.
Now the whole family is ready for this new chapter.
“I know that coach Stein is gonna put a great product on that field and he is gonna work so hard to make sure of that, and just get ready, it’s gonna be a really fun ride,” Stein said.
“He has a great support system, and we’re excited for him,” Martin said.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning confirmed that Will Stein will coach the Ducks through the College Football Playoff.
They’ll be playing James Madison University in the first round on December 20th.
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