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. The British Open is coming up. The Aggies open Blair's final season with an exhibition against Oklahoma Baptist at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Reed Arena in College Station. Right now, it's a mess in college athletics. Blair joined TexAgs Radio on Monday morning to discuss life after basketball and so much more. 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. Blair can keep going, listing players from those South Oak Cliff teams. 500 With Win Over ISU", "Aggies claim first NCAA women's basketball championship", "Texas A&M women's coach Blair to retire at season's end", "Coaching great Blair inducted into Ladyjack Hall of Fame", "Southland legends Dumars, Blair to enter Conference Hall of Honor", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gary_Blair&oldid=1149421149, 2007 Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year, 2006 Women's Basketball News Service National Coach of the Year, 2002 Texas High School Basketball Hall of Famer, 1995 Women's Basketball News Service National Coach of the Year, Five-time District VI Converse Coach of the Year, This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 03:53. The team also won the 2008 Big 12 conference tournament title. So many things happened that I will never forget . 2023 Maroon & White LP. She's a great manager of people, and I think I've done a pretty good job of managing people, too.". The one thing I want to be able to do is that I want to leave on good terms. It's good to be back. 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. After a divorce between Blair and his wife of 30-plus years, Blair married Kyla Gay in 2020. You just told em you were looking for basketball players, Metcalf said with a shrug, not lovers.. Like Blair, Slocum is the winningest coach in A&M history in his sport. 42 (UConn wins Dance; WBB ratings boom), 'I'm very honored and humbled': Gary Blair discusses Hall of Fame honor. Although I am excited to begin a new chapter in my life, I am even more excited to compete this year. Sometimes, we can agree to disagree. Head Coach. 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. Those misses included big names like Brittney Griner, who went to Baylor, and Nneka Ogwumike, who played at Stanford. People ask me how retirement is every day. When theyre young we do a lot of individual practices to keep improving their skill level. Like most websites, we use cookies to improve our service and make your user experience better. Ive had such a great career, he said. I think its just time for me to stop.. 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. [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. Im a product of Title XI, as I was the first man to coach women in the city of Dallas. Soon-to-retire Texas A&M women's coach Gary Blair talks with South Carolina counterpart Dawn Staley before the top-ranked Gamecocks' 89-48 victory Thursday night. During his last six seasons, his teams were consistently ranked in the final AP Top 25 polls. Texas A&M's Gary Blair Texas associate head coach Johnnie Harris has worked alongside Vic Schaefer since 2007. He was previously head women's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin State University. I do not miss that, but I miss the evaluations. She was named to the Texas High School Hall of Fame and she was the first female athletic director in Dallas ISD in 2001. It was back then Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, Long Beach State, Western Kentucky and Cheney State that were the big dogs. He bowled on a faculty team with their mother, Shirley. 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. 9 Replies | She was the first 6-3 kid who could play all five positions. 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.. His two sisters were over six foot. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. Hes bald and Ive got a full head of hair, so Im loving it. [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. For the one-liner on Texas A&M, turn to Gary Blair Be humble, or youll stumble, Blair said. 42 (UConn wins Dance; WBB ratings boom), 'I'm very honored and humbled': Gary Blair discusses Hall of Fame honor. A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair. My all-city friend came to see us play the other day, and hes the bench warmer now. We kept winning in every sport, and I was the head coach of all four women's sports at South Oak Cliff. A&M's Blair, Arkansas-based wife make marriage work. I had to rebuild Arkansas, but A&M was the hardest rebuild because when I got here, they were horrible. 1 and No. 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. In the 1970s the kids had to wash their own clothes. Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair honors Pat Summitt in final game at [4], National champion After serving on former Georgia coach Andy Landers' staff in Athens from 2011 to 2015, Taylor had a breakthrough season in 2020-21, as the Lady Bulldogs went 21-7 and advanced to the SEC . I told Sue that two things have to happen: you have to come with me and my wife has to come with me. The NCAA Tournaments first round is being held in San Antonio, San Marcos and Austin because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the rest of the tournament in San Antonio. He also started perfecting recruiting. "This little, good-looking redhead walked by," Blair said. But there werent a lot of high school coaching jobs available. The competition was held in Taipei, Taiwan. Back then I felt like the girls needed me. At each new place, there was a new challenge and something to build, but it was always worth it, he said. Every possession is a game in itself. Blair oozes pride when he mentions the women who helped him find his calling all those years ago. I miss talking about the game I watched the other night. Theyre not going to honor me after we beat their butt on the court. Blair stated, "It wasnt the right fit or the right time. Seems like a disproportionately hostile response. [7] He was initially the boy's P.E. She coached a gold medal team for USA Basketball, and that always helps in recruiting. And you see how that turned out.. I try to take the time to really reflect on my career and to really enjoy each and every moment of these last games of my career.. When I go back to reunions I feel good because a lot of those old people dont nearly look as good. . All of my 750 wins have happened after I turned 40, because I was a late bloomer. When he told us, we were a little surprised because we know that he could keep coaching if he wants to. Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair announced on Thursday that this season will be the last of his historic career. The only friend Ive ever hired is Vic; everyone else I hire for their strengths. "They just feed off each other so well.". Exam copy availability, 2023 Texas A&M University Press | Orders: 800-826-8911 | John H. Lindsey Building, Lewis St. | College Station, Texas 77843-4354. He has also held his "Celebrity Golf Classic" to benefit Special Olympics for over 15 years; recently, the program has raised over $100,000 annually. You name it. Hes a five-time winner of APSE National Top 10 writing awards for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, including in 2021 breaking the bombshell college football story of the decade: Texas and Oklahoma secretly planning a move to the SEC. Its time to sit up in the stands and do what you dosecond guess the coaches.. He didn't play high school sports because South Oak Cliff was so hard to make teams back in those days. [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. [4] He would coach under Leon Barmore, who replaced Hogg. Humility. You think of all the people over the years, he said. In womens basketball, we went to state the first year we could go to state in 1976. I was in the middle of that with recruiting. We support him.. How will you know when its time to retire? No wonder he is coaching so long gotta reestablish himself. Texas A&M's Gary Blair is retiring. 2,868 Views | I pull for people whove had to go through things. From throwing candy in the stands to entice students to come to games and support their womens teams to saying yes to just about every media request ever made to building the confidence of just about every player he ever coached, Blair has been an integral figure in womens basketball. I left the high school game in 1980 when Barmore and Hogg called me up. They used to ride in vans and wear tube socks. They didnt miss. kissing my wife on the floor of Conseco Fieldhouse . I had to put silk flowers in the urinals at away games because we always had to use the boys locker room as visitors. [4] He also played a year of baseball for the Red Raidershe was a defensive center fielder with self-described poor hitting skills. "[5], After his graduation from Texas Tech, Blair hoped to find a high school baseball coaching job in Lubbock, but he was offered the physical education coach gig[tone] at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, a predominantly Black school. We opened that arena in the 1983-84 season and we played Cheryl Miller and USC in the opening round (of the NCAA Tournament) and we got beat at home. 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. 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. Been engaged a year to a wonderful lady. I apologize. All the ones youve met and coached and had in your life. [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. 3. . "His decades-long championship-caliber coaching acumen and recruiting ability has transcended many generations of women's basketball players and his impact will be felt long after he hangs up the whistle.". Blair was 65 when he won that title with the Aggies.