The focus instead will be on Blairs final season. The girls asked me if I'd coach them. "He has a lot of wisdom. We have recently updated ourPrivacy Policy. 8 b&w photos. So Blair, then a hip 33 and coach of South Oak Cliff High's girls basketball team, strolled into the office and coaxed the manager to introduce him to Nan Smith. Blair is one of only three all-time DI women's basketball coaches to lead two different teams to the Final Four, and is one of eight coaches to lead three different teams to the NCAA Tournament. Jim Schlossnagle emphasizes 'sense of urgency' moving forward, 2024 forward George Turkson nearing the end of his recruiting process, Miami Dolphins select Devon Achane in the third round, 84th overall, Jacksonville Jaguars select Antonio Johnson in the fifth round, 160th overall, Indianapolis Colts select Jaylon Jones in the seventh round, 221st overall. You dont ever say that, but sometimes youve got to admit somebody might be better than you particularly in the changing world that were living in today.. Blair, 76, has won 838 games in his career at Stephen F. Austin . You know, I think I could coach till I am 80, Blair, now 76, said. 5 Aggies", "With Title, Texas A&M Coach Has Another Story to Tell", "Former SFA head coach to be inducted into Ladyjack Hall of Fame", "Click here to find out more! My weakness is Im not hard enough to fire someone. We all want to make this season special for us and for him.". As he had done at every stop so far, Blair got to Nacogdoches a small town in East Texas and started winning. In his 37 years as a collegiate head coach, Blair only suffered two losing seasons,[2] and has reached postseason play 28 times, including 23 NCAA Tournament appearances and Final Four appearances in 1998 with Arkansas and 2011 with Texas A&M. We missed last year.. [14], Following their successful season, Blair was named the Women's Basketball News Service National Coach of the Year. [20], Gary Blair was named the assistant coach of the 1996 R. William Jones Cup Team. I dont know whats more important to them. I play golf about four days a week in the mornings. 2, Connecticut?. After I completed my failure in architecture, I had to sit out a semester and a summer before I could come back, and by that time baseball was over. Such amusing (to outsiders) situations are when Blair is at his best. Hes done tremendous things in the game of basketball. You know, you just remember all those wonderful things, he said. He knew all the kids and traveled to see them. [2] During his five seasons there, Louisiana Tech reached the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament four times, winning two national championships. Karl Malone was playing at Louisiana Tech at that time. Blair notched his 750th career win last month. Ive had such a great career, he said. [3] With a Number 6 seed[2] to the NCAA Tournament (A&M's first such invitation since 1996), Blair became only the fourth coach in NCAA history to take three different schools to the NCAA Tournament,[3] although this became his only appearance where his team lost in the first round. [3], In the summer of 1996, while his Arkansas team was in their offseason, Blair spent several months in Taiwan as the assistant coach of the U.S. Jones Cup team, which won the gold medal and became the first U.S. team to be undefeated at the Jones Cup tournament. Hes the winningest coach in Texas A&M history with a 430-170 record in 18 seasons. It was the best decision.. [4], In his seven seasons at South Oak Cliff, he set a state record with five consecutive state tournament appearances and a 239-18 record. A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair. But also, just excited for him. Blair is a member of seven halls of fame, including the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. It worked, and I dont know if it could ever work again with the egos that the three of us had. Im very honest with the kids and their parents: when you earn your playing time, you will get your playing time. I want to be like R.C.. Well, I get the opportunity to have about 35 to 38 still left in me this year. Legendary Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair retired at the end of the 2021-22 season, but he is still a fixture in and around Aggieland. Early in his first season, he offered four free tickets to a game during an interview on a local radio station. [21], Blair has received the following honors over his coaching career:[22], Blair was inducted in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in June 2013. Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. [12] In his first season with Texas A&M, Blair worked very hard to attract fans to the women's basketball games, and by the end of the season attendance had increased 71 percent over the previous year, the best increase in the Big 12 Conference. "That makes this harder on Gary. Part of that attraction stems from the old line about absence making the heart grow fonder, considering the last quarter of their 32-year marriage has been spent separated by what Nan dubs "nine hours and 15 minutes" of asphalt. He says this is home and it feels right., I sat there and just listened to him and how he could express himself with everything hes going through. I got the girls involved in an intramural program, and that's when Title IX was passed. When R.C. Oct 28, 2021. "I always evaluate myself on: Am I giving everything I have, is my health good and am I still able to make an impact on young lives?" He even gave out his home address for the lucky first four who showed up. Theres 17 other national championships we didnt win. "They make a difference," Nan said. After his tour, he lived in the Los Angeles area, running a restaurant in Costa Mesa and Culver City. Blair said in a statement on Thursday. I hired him from $72,000 to $14,000, and he had kept up with everything through his high school, and he knew so much about recruiting nationally through AAU. All three of us were six months apart in age. . South Carolina's Aliyah Boston recorded her 20th straight double-double, an SEC record, as the Gamecocks rolled in Texas A&M coach Gary Blair's final home game. We were just coming off of a state championship team and I had just got married. So, with both drenched in successful careers, how have the two made a long-distance marriage work? That is the trait Blair has most in common with Garrido, the iconic UT baseball coach who died three years ago this month from complications following a stroke: a super sharp wit masking a sharper drive to win. A&M's Blair, Arkansas-based wife make marriage work - Chron I had a rule for my kids that they had to play all of (the sports). 3 with eyes on more, while the men have not even played since Jan. 30. Been divorced for about 4 years. Request a review copy, Professors: I'm going back and reading everything, whether it be older 12th Man Magazines or responding to letters. Its really something.. Search by keyword, author, title, and more.. Aggies associate head coach Kelly Bond-White has been with Blair all 15 years in the program, and assistant coach Bob Starkey has been there for six. Theyre not going to honor me after we beat their butt on the court, Blair said. What's tough right now is that Tuesday was the first day on the road for all my coaches. Barbara Brown McCoy went on to be a standout guard at Stephen F. Austin before going into high school coaching herself. [3] Blair was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. I was always standing and coaching. Blair's legacy honored despite dropping final home game to South TexAgs is an independent site and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. I told Sue that two things have to happen: you have to come with me and my wife has to come with me. "We both have careers. Brent was named national beat writer of the year by the Football Writers Association of America for 2021, the first Texan to earn the honor, but hes most proud on the sports front of earning Dayton Invitational Basketball Tournament MVP honors in 1988. I got early outs in December, 1970. Legendary Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair retired at the end of the 2021-22 season, but he is still a fixture in and around Aggieland. Her first impression of the convivial coach and his recruiting ability? She was the first 6-3 kid who could play all five positions. We won state the next year in 1977. 2,868 Views | Brent is the author of four published books about Texas A&M, three related to A&M athletics. On Thursday night, Blair will coach the Texas A&M womens team at home for the last time, as the school names the court at Reed Arena after him. Gary Blair Court at Reed Arena will be officially dedicated during a pregame . In 36 years as a head coach, he has had 35 winning seasons, 30 20-win seasons and 41 postseason victories, which ranks fifth among active coaches. Building champions on, off court | Sports | thebatt.com He was raised in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Dallas. Blair will become just the third women's coach, along with Tennessee's Pat Summitt and NC State's Kay Yow, to have a court named for them. [3] Despite Blair's winning record at Arkansas and taking the program to its first ever Final Four just four years earlier, then-women's program athletic director Bev Lewis relieved Blair of his coaching duties after the season. I started out with something else in mind and I ended up on this path, coaching all these young women over the years. He was previously head women's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin State University. Blair didnt find it easy upon his arrival from Arkansas nearly two decades ago. Early in his high school career, he was the most average guy that you had ever seen. I left the high school game in 1980 when Barmore and Hogg called me up. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. A&M returns two starters and eight letter winners from the team that went 25-3 and won the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship last season. This is a reflection year more than anything, and I'm trying to get organized. Thirty-four years later, Nan still thinks so - and the two have a mutual attraction. I just want to be that guy that hopefully did it the right way.". Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. Blair, with a slight grin, also realized the game in the Erwin Center offers the chance for a jab at A&Ms (still) biggest rival and new Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer, his former top assistant at A&M. 2:28p, 3/5/20. When I got to Arkansas I needed a national recruiter, so I hired Tom Collen from Purdue. I almost found out (against Georgia earlier this month) when we got beat in overtime. We kept winning in every sport, and I was the head coach of all four women's sports at South Oak Cliff. Kit Lyle was with me at Stephen F., and more recently he was Chennedy Carters coach for her last two years of high school Mike Neighbors was a high school coach at Cabbot making $72,000 a year. Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? Blair endorsed her as his eventual successor. It wasnt long before we saw he was a money-making machine. He was previously head womens basketball coach at the University of Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin State University. Unfortunately, these kids today, before they get finished with a practice theyre talking to their supporters, their friends or their mama about their bad practice. Blair will be, too. South Oak Cliff had just started its women's basketball program, and Blair became the team's first coach in 1973. The team, unranked in the national polls, received a No. [5] He earned his master's degree in education from the school in 1974. As for life after coaching, Blair said quality time with his family is at the top of his list. flashbulbs popping as the Aggie Band played triumphantly . An emotional, philosophical and nostalgic Gary Blairformally announced on Thursday that he will retire as Texas A&Ms womens basketball coach following the upcoming season. When the federal civil rights law was passed in the summer of 1972, schools all over the country that hadnt implemented athletic programming for girls were scrambling to do so. Over the past 19 seasons, the program . Blair and Lewis did not get along, and their professional relationship became even more strained once the Arkansas athletic programs were divided and Lewis became the women's AD. Joe McKeown, the head women's basketball coach at Northwestern delivered the introduction speech by videotape. I switched my major to kinesiology. But the time has come.. I actually fell in love with the kids, and to this day its still the best job Ive ever had, because it gave me the confidence to do what Im doing now. He was an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech from 1980-1985 and head coach at Stephen F. Austin from 1985-1993. I knew him from Sam Houston State when I was at Stephen F. He was making $44,000 at Sam Houston and I brought him in at $55,000. 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He was only 5-foot-11. It's good to be back. The next year, it became a paid thing. (Elsa / Getty Images). 10,331 Views | After this season his 50th coaching Blair will retire and leave a stamp the size of Texas on the game of basketball. For my teams at South Oak Cliff, a professional league wasnt a possibility, so to see how far things had come was something.. No way did I think I would still be coaching now. After a divorce between Blair and his wife of 30-plus years, Blair married Kyla Gay in 2020. Every one of the players he helped coach during that tournament later went on to play in the WNBA. [3], Overall, in his first three years as the head coach of the Aggies, A&M home attendance increased 156%, with a school-record 11,088 fans watching the team play Baylor University. Blair coached Debra and Kim Rodman on one of his state title teams their brother Dennis used to play Ping-Pong and talk about basketball with Blair at the school. A Dallas native, Blair was the head coach at South Oak Cliff High school from 1973-1980. My all-city friend came to see us play the other day, and hes the bench warmer now. Who was No. Theres no one in my generation who will ever eclipse his achievements. Gary, who has three years remaining on his A&M contract, has shown no signs of slowing. In 1977 we won our first state championship, and they asked me to be the head boys basketball coach and the coordinator of junior varsity football. Conference tournament champion, List of college women's basketball coaches with 600 wins, "Big 12 Coaches Owe Much to Louisiana Tech", "Q&A with Texas A&M women's hoops coach Gary Blair", "Pepperdine Timeout 4 HIV/AIDS Tourney Up Next For No. Division regular season champion My job was to massage the egos. "Having my name on that beautiful floor is a humbling experience. All rights reserved. He was a good kid, and he grew eight inches after high school. 23 in the AP preseason poll. A Coaching Life - tamupress.com COLLEGE STATION - Gary Blair was in mid-swing in a water volleyball game that summer day in 1978 when an angelic figure - at least in his single state of mind - distracted him from the not-so-serious task at hand in his apartment's pool. He surpassed former men's coach Shelby Metcalf this season with 443 victories at A&M to become the winningest basketball coach in school history. "They just feed off each other so well.". Pam Green went on to star at Missouri. Longtime Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair announced Thursday that this season will be his last with the Aggies, with the 76-year-old set to retire at season's end. I didnt start coaching until I was 27. Blair led the Aggies to the national championship in 2011. According to Brown-McCoy, most of the girls had never traveled outside of the Dallas area. This season's basketball fortunes a tale of two Texas A&Ms Blair went 210-43 in eight seasons at SFA before moving on to the University of Arkansas. All the ones youve met and coached and had in your life. Hed built a program from scratch and helped bring visibility to girls basketball in the state. A new professional league, and you were seeing more people at college games around that time, too. TexAgs is an independent site and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. 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His teams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 15 consecutive seasons. I lived for that. Sometimes you grow up, and sometimes you grow. . The transfer portal, the constant debates about compensating athletes, a pandemic that canceled high school basketball seasons and an NCAA Tournament, the changes in recruiting in a world that has turned to virtual meetings at a high rate Blair would rather sit back and watch the game evolve around all of the new challenges rather than be in the midst of it. I usually ask experienced coaches how young people have changed since you first began coaching, but you have 45 years of experience. They put me into the office to work and I had a great year. I thought Id be a baseball coach, but after four and a half years of college I quit for a while and went to California to take a summer job as a restaurant manager. 2023 Maroon & White LP. Prairie View A&M wants to leave the Texas A&M University System. Brent Zwerneman is a staff writer for the Houston Chronicle covering Texas A&M athletics. Things get started with the dinner Thursday, May 6 at the Brazos County Expo at 6 p.m. Plates are $20 for all-you-can-eat catfish. Blair arrived at Texas A&M in 2003,[11] taking over the Big 12 Conference's worst team, which had not had a winning season in seven years. 28 color photos. Available, Media: He just mentioned his fiance during halftime of the Ark/Aub game - I know I'm out of touch, but I had no idea he was even divorced, much less ready to get married again! A Coaching Life on Apple Books "I initially stayed behind because our son (Matt) was a senior in high school," Nan said of why she's never left Fayetteville, Ark. I miss talking about the game I watched the other night. Timing is everything in coaching. 5,245 Views | So after 18 months and seven days I sprinted back to Texas to finish my last year of school. I turned it down to stay with the women. During my last year at South Oak Cliff, we went 40-0 with perhaps one of the best teams ever. Blair joined TexAgs Radio on Monday morning to discuss life after basketball and so much more. Humility. After this season his 50th coaching Blair will retire and leave a stamp the size of Texas on the game of basketball.