We kept winning in every sport, and I was the head coach of all four women's sports at South Oak Cliff. I ended up coaching women's basketball because there wasn't a coaching job when I took the PE job at South Oak Cliff. Last: How long do you want to ignore this user? a reporter reminded Blair he had defeated Nebraska in the 2010 Big 12 tournament when the Cornhuskers were 30-0 and ranked No. See our updatedPrivacy Policyto find out more about cookies and how we use your data. I had a rule for my kids that they had to play all of (the sports). No wonder he is coaching so long gotta reestablish himself. So after 18 months and seven days I sprinted back to Texas to finish my last year of school. 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. I love it enough. 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. But there werent a lot of high school coaching jobs available. Thats when I went to South Oak Cliff High School and got one of few jobs that were open. Vic turned it down and came with me to Texas A&M, and Amber stayed. In 2003, Gary was hired from Arkansas to revive the Big 12's worst program in A&M. "This little, good-looking redhead walked by," Blair said. Texas A&M announced on Thursday that its basketball court will be named in honor of retiring women's coach Gary Blair. I was an architecture major at TTU and a walk-on for baseball. I miss going out and talking shop with your colleagues and then getting up and doing it again. 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. During his stint at Arkansas, the womens game evolved in a way Blair had always hoped to see. 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. And you see how that turned out.. [17], On April 3, 2011, the Aggies defeated top-seeded Stanford 6362 to advance to the national title game. 42 (UConn wins Dance; WBB ratings boom), 'I'm very honored and humbled': Gary Blair discusses Hall of Fame honor. 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. She was ahead of her time. [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. . 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. Shelby Metcalf, who coached the men's team for 27 seasons, is the school's winningest coach. He handled the defense, and it was the first time Id really turned over the defense to an assistant coach. Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. I got early outs in December, 1970. 1 in top 25 women's college basketball preseason rankings, Predictions for all 32 women's college basketball conference races, 2022 women's recruiting class rankings: Trio of Pac-12 teams lead the way. The couple doesn't really discuss where they'll end up. He is a natural at making anyone feel like an old friend, and that went a long way as he continued to build up every program he touched. Blair joined TexAgs Radio on Monday morning to discuss life after basketball and so much more. 9 Replies | 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. They didnt miss. They offered me the head baseball job and a football coordinator job, but I turned them down to stay with the women. So many things happened that I will never forget . The Astros gave four underdog pitchers a shot. . 9 Replies | Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, against Mississippi earlier this season, has his own style of wit and wisdom. You have to get outside. Well, I wasnt busy coaching baseball, so I jumped on that chance. Hes done tremendous things in the game of basketball. A&M's Blair, Arkansas-based wife make marriage work. 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. 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. 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. [9], Blair was inducted into the Ladyjack Hall of Fame during halftime of the Ladyjacks game against the Aggies on December 2, 2008. 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. Now divorced, Blair has a son and a daughter, and three grandchildren. Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair, 76, announced on Thursday that he will retire at the end of this season. 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. I dont want kids to transfer, I want them to realize when they come back to a reunion like the one we had (earlier this month). Those impressive accomplishments arent good enough for Blair, who began his career in 1973 as a coach at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas. On Thursday night, Blair will coach the Texas A&M women's team at . Bryce Young vs. C.J. Two days later, the Aggies defeated Notre Dame 76-70 in the championship game to win the tournament for the first time in school history. I was the head coach for basketball, volleyball, track and cross country for eight years, and I loved it. 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. Seems like a disproportionately hostile response. He talks about his beginnings often, about the chances he was given and the opportunities he seized. Melissa Gregg is a Dallas police officer. The games and wins, sure. Fantasy women's basketball: Whose numbers could fall in 2023? They made it to the UIL Texas state tournament five years in a row and won the title three times. Finish last in medical school, and they call you a doctor.. I told Sue that two things have to happen: you have to come with me and my wife has to come with me. I miss talking about the game I watched the other night. We support him.. I wanted to coach baseball, the former Texas Tech outfielder said. Gary Blair Court at Reed Arena will be officially dedicated during a pregame ceremony on Feb. 24 when the Aggies face South Carolina. ", Texas A&M naming court in honor of retiring Blair, The top 35 women's college basketball players in the transfer portal, Ex-Louisville star Van Lith picks champion LSU, New Big Ten boss Petitti ready to lead 'new era', Wake Forest's Spear, top-5 ACC scorer, in portal, Survey: Male athletes unsure of Title IX process, Oregon State AD Barnes released from hospital, S. Carolina brings on former Oregon PG Paopao, Ex-Iowa St. guard Donarski transferring to UNC, How Hailey Van Lith's transfer impacts NCAA champion LSU. ", "It's really special for us to be playing in his last season," Aggies guard Destiny Pitts said. That will be enough., Its time to go do the other things in life. Blairs final season with the Aggiesbegins on Nov. 9 against A&M-Corpus Christi at Reed Arena. All of them are still committed to us. In the spring of 1977, Blair and the Bears won their first state championship. He was in my third-period PE class. Although I am excited to begin a new chapter in my life, I am even more excited to compete this year. This outlines how and why we collect, store and use your personal data when you use our website. My job was to massage the egos. TexAgs is an independent site and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. What is the foundation for building a good team culture? At age 27, he used his G.I. 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. [15], On February 20, 2008, Blair posted his 500th career win as a head coach at Reed Arena against the Iowa State Cyclones.[16]. They used to ride in vans and wear tube socks. Ive never fired a person in my life, back to restaurant manager days. I'm a sports fan. Early in his first season, he offered four free tickets to a game during an interview on a local radio station. [3] Blair was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. Thought it was strange she never moved to College Station. Over the past 19 seasons, the program . Hed built a program from scratch and helped bring visibility to girls basketball in the state. In November of that year, I made the decision to take the Louisiana Tech assistant job. "She doesn't have a job and I don't have a job," Gary said. Leon Barmore was the Bobby Knight of womens basketball. However, I know that it is time for this to be my final season. Stroud: Analyzing two pro days, Q&A with Texans chairman Cal McNair on GM, new coach and draft, Entering 2nd season, Jeremy Pea a celeb who doesn't act like one. We finished third, first, first, second and first. I think its just time for me to stop.. The Blairs own a home in the Traditions development in Bryan that Nan designed. 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! I flunked out of architecture, which didnt make me eligible for baseball. Back then I felt like the girls needed me. He saida conversation with former A&M football coach R.C. I sat down two days ago on his front porch and listened to his problems and everything he has done. He bowled on a faculty team with their mother, Shirley. We hired assistant Amy Sheridan, who played at Sam Houston State with Vic. 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. All ex-players and all ex-coaches think we have one more (game) left in us, Blair said. We (coaching staff) spent two hours last night with current recruits, Blair said. He also has four grandchildren: Logan, Lola, Landry and Reagan. 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. Where is this coming from?, We understand. I had to rebuild Arkansas, but A&M was the hardest rebuild because when I got here, they were horrible. Blair notched his 750th career win last month. "She had white scrubs on and looked like a nurse. Now Texas A&M women's basketball head coach Gary Blair is ready to welcome everyone back this year for the 18th annual event to help support Special Olympics. I got the girls involved in an intramural program, and that's when Title IX was passed. I pull for people whove had to go through things. It was shocking. Brent met his wife, KBTX-TV news anchor Crystal Galny, in the Dixie Chicken before an A&M-Texas Tech football game in 2002, and the couple has three children: Will, Zoe and Brady. Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. Then I joined the Marine Corps. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. kissing my wife on the floor of Conseco Fieldhouse . Blair joined TexAgs Radio on Monday morning to discuss life after basketball and so much more. 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. Gary Blair became Texas A&M's coach in 2003. He is the kind of guy who meets you once, sees you years later and remembers your name and some small random fact from a conversation you had. I do not miss that, but I miss the evaluations. "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.". After this season his 50th coaching Blair will retire and leave a stamp the size of Texas on the game of basketball. Conference regular season and conference tournament champion You could get it done at those smaller venues back then. Blair is a member of seven halls of fame, including the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. He thanked a myriad of administrators, coaches and current and former players for his success. He is a stepfather to her two children, Callie and James, and is also a father to Paige and Matt Blair from his previous marriage with Nan Smith. 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. 3 in the country and be 30-0? responded Blair, before having a little fun at the expense of one of college basketballs all-time powerhouses. Thats why its time. "That makes this harder on Gary. [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. When you work with the top players in the country, they get to see why you're one of the top coaches in the country. . Gary is in his ninth year as the most successful basketball coach in A&M history, having led the Aggies to the school's first national title in the sport a year ago. Thanks Coach. As older coaches, we have to change with todays kids. [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. I left the high school game in 1980 when Barmore and Hogg called me up. Gary Blair is the son of Lee, a plaster foreman, and Jean, a housewife. They were ready to go. Fantasy women's basketball: Will the addition of Candace Parker shake up fantasy values on the Aces? [3] For the first time in his career, however, one of Blair's team suffered a losing season. Im a product of Title XI, as I was the first man to coach women in the city of Dallas. There wont be another one (like him), A&M mens basketball coach Buzz Williams said of Blair. I miss all that, but it's time for the next chapter. The girls asked me if I'd coach them. There is the good, the bad and the ugly of social media. You just told em you were looking for basketball players, Metcalf said with a shrug, not lovers.. 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. The team won 23 games (losing 9), the third-most victories in school history and a tie for the most victories in conference play ever (11 wins, 5 losses in conference). Theyre not going to honor me after we beat their butt on the court, Blair said. The team, unranked in the national polls, received a No. I just need an arena with 94 feet to be able to compete.. In the eighth game, they played undefeated Slovakia, in a game that would determine the gold medal. I dont need a rocking chair or a plaque or anything like that. Try a week on us. You played baseball in college. I took the job thinking this will be good for a year or two. What can you say about it? Brent met his wife, KBTX . Every game is a Super Bowl to me.. Guard Destiny Pitts said Blair has influenced her beyond basketball. Rodman is a sports fan. Division regular season and conference tournament champion 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. You want to see people compete. Around that time, the school offered him the head baseball job hed coveted. 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. [4], National champion Blair, who began his career in 1980 as an assistant at Louisiana Tech, is a member of seven halls of fame, including the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Long-time assistant coach Kelly Bond-White is obviously helping with those recruiting efforts. The players I have been lucky enough to coach, to know. "I've got nine grandkids that I want to go spend more time with. 6.12 x 9.25 x 0 in 288 pp. What I haven't gotten to do is spend a lot of time with my granddaughter and grandson.". I am missing work, and I am missing relationships. I want to be the first coach at A&M to leave since Bear Bryant, on his own terms. [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 can get something out of all three of those. Weve done a good job of bringing in the right kids with the right parents. Taylor succeeds hall of famer Gary Blair and is inheriting a program that is one of eight schools in the past 20 years to have a national title.