He has led the Aggies to five conference titles, including the 2021 SEC regular-season title and the 2011 national championship. Thats my strength. You get to appreciate what coaching is. He got a U.S. Army draft notice in 1969, and decided to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, completing a two-year tour of duty. Im a product of Title XI, as I was the first man to coach women in the city of Dallas. [12], Blair is married to Kyla Blair and has four children and nine grandchildren. His teams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 15 consecutive seasons. [3], It was during his time at SFA that Blair met his future assistant coach Vic Schaefer, who was coaching the Sam Houston State Bearkats (one of SFA's main rivals) at the time. 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! Thats why its time. Like Blair, Slocum is the winningest coach in A&M history in his sport. "This is an incredible honor," Blair said. 2,868 Views | "I am fortunate that my health is still great, and I believe that I can still make an impact on our student-athletes and that I can give all my effort every single day. Be humble, or youll stumble, Blair said. Wed take the kids home after practice just load up cars take them home. And I truly love it. She is the answer going forward with this program.. He also has four grandchildren: Logan, Lola, Landry and Reagan. 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. Gary, who has three years remaining on his A&M contract, has shown no signs of slowing. Thanks Coach. They made it to the UIL Texas state tournament five years in a row and won the title three times. I took the job at Stephen F and I was smart enough not to replace (longtime Louisiana State coach) Sue Gunter or Leon Barmore when he wanted out (of Louisiana Tech). I have no regrets and just hold my colleagues, my players and the game in such high regards. "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?" "They make a difference," Nan said. Here's how to score the best deals on tickets, plus all the free promotions you won't want to miss. I have enough energy. None of the big six major cities in Texas had womens athletics before Title IX. The Aggies (14-12, 4-10 SEC) will miss the NCAA Tournament this season unless they stun in the conference tournament. The USA fell behind; Slovakia had a 2215 lead. Our student body is 62,000 strong, and there are other things in life just as important as basketball. ", "I love Aggieland, and I love Fayetteville," Gary said. It worked, and I dont know if it could ever work again with the egos that the three of us had. But things have changed so much. It makes you appreciate the road of women in sports. Request a review copy, Professors: 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. Nestled between the central and eastern parts of Texas, A&M was in proximity to loads of basketball talent in hotbeds for the sport like Houston and Dallas. 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! Search by keyword, author, title, and more.. [12], Much of his recruiting is done in-state,[15] and Blair says that he recruits students for their offensive showing and then teaches them to play defense later. So special, in fact, that when Blair was offered the opportunity to move up to the collegiate basketball level and coach at Louisiana Tech in 1980, he was unsure if he would go. In womens basketball, we went to state the first year we could go to state in 1976. He was also inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023. Blair will leave Aggieland as the winningest coach in Texas A&M history. It would have been 16 had the 2020 tournament not been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I had a rule for my kids that they had to play all of (the sports). I remember thinking that I wished I could somehow stop time., GARY BLAIR, head womens basketball coach at Texas A&M University since 2003, led the Aggies to an NCAA national championship in 2011. We finished third, first, first, second and first. [8] After winning the first state championship, he was offered the head baseball job he had been waiting for, but he turned it down to remain coaching the women's teams. 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. He is listed in the top 35 of the all-time winningest NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches, and he is one of the few coaches to guide three different schools to national rankings and NCAA Tournament berths. You cant ask for much more.. Blairs love for basketball and genuine interest in helping his players succeed on and off the court mixed with his charm is quite the combination. Meanwhile, Nan had advanced through the nursing ranks, winning numerous honors along the way, and was 11 years into a teaching career at Arkansas when her husband was hired to coach the Aggies. I was the head coach for basketball, volleyball, track and cross country for eight years, and I loved it. Its been a great ride, Blair told The Athletic. Every one of the players he helped coach during that tournament later went on to play in the WNBA. Melissa Gregg is a Dallas police officer. We keep starters in (for enough time) and develop everyone. I ended up at South Oak Cliff in physical education and I was just waiting for a baseball job.. He coached for 37 years closing with Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball, who he coached from 2003 until his retirement in 2022. Those were special years.. If youve ever spent any time with Blair, you know the story or pieces of it, anyway. And thats OK. They put me into the office to work and I had a great year. Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, against Mississippi earlier this season, has his own style of wit and wisdom. "It's who's going to retire first who's going to win that battle," said a grinning Gary, 66. I had to have someone with me who could build the program up and I needed someone I could trust. Im very honest with the kids and their parents: when you earn your playing time, you will get your playing time. Blair didnt find it easy upon his arrival from Arkansas nearly two decades ago. The Blairs own a home in the Traditions development in Bryan that Nan designed. [7] He was initially the boy's P.E. My job was to massage the egos. looking toward the stands, where my grandson was . [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. [17], On April 3, 2011, the Aggies defeated top-seeded Stanford 6362 to advance to the national title game. After the season, the Texas A&M Board of Regents approved a one-year contract extension through 2012, and a $150,000 salary raise to $800,000 annually. I turned it down, he said. Not too many players transfer from Texas A&M. Those misses included big names like Brittney Griner, who went to Baylor, and Nneka Ogwumike, who played at Stanford. During his stint at Arkansas, the womens game evolved in a way Blair had always hoped to see. TexAgs is an independent site and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. Karl Malone was playing at Louisiana Tech at that time. [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. It's good to be back. kissing my wife on the floor of Conseco Fieldhouse . He was in my third-period PE class. 0 Replies | I switched my major to kinesiology. Been divorced for about 4 years. Sometimes you have to wait for things. . I miss all that, but it's time for the next chapter. Sometimes I want to do things with my wife and my grandkids. Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair announced on Thursday that this season will be the last of his historic career. At that time where were no coaching jobs, so I took a PE teacher job, and I volunteered to be the golf coach. Exam copy availability, 2023 Texas A&M University Press | Orders: 800-826-8911 | John H. Lindsey Building, Lewis St. | College Station, Texas 77843-4354. When theyre young we do a lot of individual practices to keep improving their skill level. He was stationed in Okinawa during his duty. He was a good kid, and he grew eight inches after high school. 2023 Maroon & White LP. I got early outs in December, 1970. 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. All rights reserved. The USA came back, but was still behind at halftime. That team, that year, Blair said. "It's a French country house, and probably the only one in Bryan-College Station," Gary said. Texas A&M said nearly 60 of Blair's former assistants or players became head coaches, including six currently at the Division I level: LSU's Kim Mulkey, Texas' Vic Schaefer, Arkansas' Mike Neighbors, Auburn's Johnnie Harris, Georgia Tech's Nell Fortner and Lamar's A'Quonesia Franklin. He didn't get drafted by the Detroit Pistons until he was 24. If its about money, Garrido said with a wry smile, well play in Austin.. All three of us were six months apart in age. 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. We were up five in OT and we struggled so much, but Georgia played great. The first year we were a Cinderella team and went to the Final Four. Last: There are not any replies to this post yet. [4] He would coach under Leon Barmore, who replaced Hogg. . The numbers speak for themselves. Its been great this year to reflect at every gym we go to, to talk to other coaches Ive known for years, he said. Texas A&M's Gary Blair is retiring. . We cant get separation on teams, no one plays us close, our defense is solid but were not stopping people theyre scoring on us. 42 (UConn wins Dance; WBB ratings boom), 'I'm very honored and humbled': Gary Blair discusses Hall of Fame honor. I'm a sports fan. When he told us, we were a little surprised because we know that he could keep coaching if he wants to. Relationships like that make it difficult for Blair to walk away. What I haven't gotten to do is spend a lot of time with my granddaughter and grandson.". All of them are still committed to us. He is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School and Sam Houston State University, where he played baseball. TexAgs is an independent site and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. Beyond the trophies, beyond the impressive won-lost record compiled over more than four decades of coaching, beyond even the ungrudging professional respect he has achieved among his peers in a fiercely competitive occupation, Gary Blair values the images, moments, and memories collected during a life spent doing what he loves most: coaching . It will be nearly impossible for Texas A&M to replace women's basketball coach Gary Blair, who announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the 2021-22 season. The focus instead will be on Blairs final season. He was also interviewing for the New Mexico State job, which he didnt want to take. [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. Well hold on to these and were not finished recruiting.. I was an architecture major at TTU and a walk-on for baseball. "She doesn't have a job and I don't have a job," Gary said. I had to rebuild Arkansas, but A&M was the hardest rebuild because when I got here, they were horrible. 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. 28 color photos. You played baseball in college. They didnt miss. A group of girls from South Oak Cliff were ready to play any and every sport they could. 9 seed for the NCAA Tournament and reached the NCAA Final Four. [2] During his five seasons there, Louisiana Tech reached the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament four times, winning two national championships. As for life after coaching, Blair said quality time with his family is at the top of his list. Fantasy women's basketball: Whose numbers could fall in 2023? But I made an attempt to get them all here.. Weve lost recent games to South Carolina and Tennessee, but we were right there until the last possession. 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. After his tour, he lived in the Los Angeles area, running a restaurant in Costa Mesa and Culver City. All the other men coached boys basketball and football. Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, right, and his wife, Nan, make a long-distance relationship work. 8 b&w photos. My weakness is Im not hard enough to fire someone. Blair was 65 when he won that title with the Aggies. Nan drove in from Fayetteville on Friday night in time for the Aggies' first-round NCAA Tournament game against Albany starting 5:35 p.m. Saturday in Reed Arena. Gary Blair Court at Reed Arena will be officially dedicated during a pregame ceremony on Feb. 24 when the Aggies face South Carolina. I am missing work, and I am missing relationships. Brent met his wife, KBTX . South Oak Cliff had just started its women's basketball program, and Blair became the team's first coach in 1973. I was in the middle of that with recruiting. Its time to sit up in the stands and do what you dosecond guess the coaches.. This is my 19th year (at A&M), Blair said with a cracking voice and misty eyes. He made $7,000 annually coaching all of these sports. It won't be difficult to go see the team play, but it will be difficult to realize that I have a seat. Sometimes you grow up, and sometimes you grow. You could tell Cheryl was the next coming. Weve got plenty of time for that, Bjork said The great thing about the timing from only that perspective is you have all season to analyze, look at the landscape of college basketball, see what coaches are out there, see what the future holds and be able to analyze what that landscape is. The eternally quippable Metcalf, Lemons and Garrido all have since passed on to that coaches comedy club in the clouds, but theres at least one old-school coach in the region still owning the fastest facetiousness in Texas. I'm going to sit down and enjoy watching. I think we shared that reaction, Nixon said. Blair has been at Texas A&M since 2003, leading the Aggies to a national championship in 2011. Oct. 28, 2021 Updated: Oct. 28, 2021 11:36 a.m. She's a great manager of people, and I think I've done a pretty good job of managing people, too.". Blair is a member of seven halls of fame, including the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. In basketball I stayed in shape, but I couldnt shoot a lick. [20], Gary Blair was named the assistant coach of the 1996 R. William Jones Cup Team. We were in Okinawa when everyone was trying to pull troops back. He stresses offensive rebounding and defense to his teams,[2] and his 2007 Texas A&M team ranked among the nation's best in scoring defense, blocked shots, and steals. He grew up playing baseball, and as a 128-pound center fielder at Bryan Adams High School, he received all-city honors in 1963. But the way you saw their confidence grow, the way they lit up in the gym and had so much fun and worked so hard. 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. "My wife and I want to do some traveling starting next summerwe've got a lot of places picked out," Blair said. Before anyone wanted him on a field, though, a group of young ladies needed him on a court. 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. Save on AeroGarden indoor herb growing kits at Amazon, Create a bonsai tree out of bricks with this $40 LEGO set, Preorder 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' today, Astros vs Phillies: How to get tickets and free swag this weekend, There are a ton of great patio furniture sets on sale right now. What Im trying to do is max out every day. For me, hes been almost like a grandfather, she said. Fantasy women's basketball: Will the addition of Candace Parker shake up fantasy values on the Aces. . He netted a national APSE second-place finish for breaking the Dennis Franchione secret newsletter scandal in 2007, and his coverage of Texas A&Ms move to the SEC from the Big 12 also netted a third-place finish nationally in 2012. Hed built a program from scratch and helped bring visibility to girls basketball in the state. But there werent a lot of high school coaching jobs available. Blair led the Aggies to the national championship in 2011. Only two tickets were claimed. The very best thing I could do was stay with those girls. Blair is one of only three all-time DI womens 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. Sport makes us better. I didnt want them to go back home because at that time there were a lot of single parents out working, which meant kids had a lot of time between 4 and 7 p.m. to get into trouble. Well, I get the opportunity to have about 35 to 38 still left in me this year. Blair said in a statement on Thursday. 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. Congratulations on his upcoming (I assume) nuptials! Although I am excited to begin a new chapter in my life, I am even more excited to compete this year. I flunked out of architecture, which didnt make me eligible for baseball. Rodman is a sports fan. She coached a gold medal team for USA Basketball, and that always helps in recruiting. He announced in October that this would be his final season after 19 seasons at Texas A&M. Theyre not going to honor me after we beat their butt on the court, Blair said. You have to get outside. Were playing in a good arena, Blair said, and we won in Austin earlier this year.. I started out with something else in mind and I ended up on this path, coaching all these young women over the years. 1 of 5 Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair talks with his players in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Vanderbilt at the women's Southeastern Conference tournament Wednesday . I enrolled in May, 1969 when everyone was trying to stay out. He ranks 12th in Division I history and fourth among active coaches. You name it. The joy that bursts out of Gary Blair as he talks about his storied career simply cant be contained. Only the last five years in high school we were allowed to go to state. [3] For the first time in his career, however, one of Blair's team suffered a losing season. . I'm trying to adjust. He talks about his beginnings often, about the chances he was given and the opportunities he seized. He said thats the right time to retire because the program is strong and he needs to spend more time with his wife, Kyla, and their children and nine grandchildren. Since being named head coach in 2003, coach Gary Blair has guided Texas A&M into the ranks of the elite. [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. You know, I think I could coach till I am 80, Blair, now 76, said. "Coach Blair is a legend in women's basketball and college sports," Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said. After 10 years in Fayetteville, Ark., Blair would make another move this time to a flailing Texas A&M team that was always sitting near the bottom of the Big 12 standings. 978-1-62349-536-7 Cloth In the spring of 1977, Blair and the Bears won their first state championship. The girls asked me if I'd coach them. Ive got some (players) who can mimic me pretty good, and theyre usually right on. We were just coming off of a state championship team and I had just got married. 9 Replies | On March 29, 2011, Gary Blair led the program to its first ever Final Four appearance by defeating top-seeded Baylor 58-46. Just last week Texans GM Nick Caserio was deflecting rumors of a possible departure. Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair announced on Thursday that this season will be the last of his historic career. Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire. 42 (UConn wins Dance; WBB ratings boom), 'I'm very honored and humbled': Gary Blair discusses Hall of Fame honor.
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