Blairs coaching tree includes Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer and Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors, whose teams Texas A&M faces in Southeastern Conference play. He was 239-18 at South Oak Cliff. I'm a sports fan. A Coaching Life - tamupress.com He also has four grandchildren: Logan, Lola, Landry and Reagan. He was in my third-period PE class. COLLEGE STATION Shelby Metcalf once explained why he had no problem recruiting to a then-all-male military institute in Texas A&M in the early 1960s. Texas A&M women's coach Gary Blair to retire at season's end - Chron How will you know when its time to retire? [5] He earned his master's degree in education from the school in 1974. Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire. A Coaching Life on Apple Books 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. You cant (raise your voice at young people) anymore. It took 10 more years before he decided to step away. 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. looking toward the stands, where my grandson was . Theyre not going to honor me after we beat their butt on the court, Blair said. Nan visits Aggieland about a dozen times a year, and Gary visits Fayetteville about five times a year. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Thats why its time. Thats a long-winded answer but thats who I am.. a reporter reminded Blair he had defeated Nebraska in the 2010 Big 12 tournament when the Cornhuskers were 30-0 and ranked No. "It's who's going to retire first who's going to win that battle," said a grinning Gary, 66. [4], National champion Women's college basketball succession plan -- Who's got next at - ESPN A member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the 76-year-old Blair has a career record of 838-333in 36 seasons at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas and Texas A&M. You name it. I miss all that, but it's time for the next chapter. 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. Gary Blair Court at Reed Arena will be officially dedicated during a pregame . 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! I apologize. Todays kids live in the moment. I didnt start coaching until I was 27. We would pack them in to the old field house, and after two years when we won National Championships, we moved (the venue) to the new assembly center. "This is an incredible honor," Blair said. Kelly Bond-White has been with me 21 years, he said. Brent Zwerneman is a staff writer for the Houston Chronicle covering Texas A&M athletics. [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. 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. [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. Available, Media: Flash02. My all-city friend came to see us play the other day, and hes the bench warmer now. 9 Replies | After a divorce between Blair and his wife of 30-plus years, Blair married Kyla Gay in 2020. I love it enough. The USA fell behind; Slovakia had a 2215 lead. 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. I brought Sue Donohoe with me, who was a great recruiter and a real people person. [3] For the first time in his career, however, one of Blair's team suffered a losing season. In his final season with the Lady Razorbacks, the team finished the season ranked 24th nationally and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. I had to play the Title IX card to get a director of basketball operations. got fired (in 2002) he could have went to LSU, Baylor, Houston or a lot of other places. All rights reserved. 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. All of a sudden it was a power, sort of like Long Beach Poly. 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 took the job thinking this will be good for a year or two. A&M's Blair, Arkansas-based wife make marriage work - Chron "I've got our kids and grandkids up in Arkansas with me," Nan said. What I haven't gotten to do is spend a lot of time with my granddaughter and grandson.". Ive missed too many ball games, too many cheerleading things, he said. I'm going back and reading everything, whether it be older 12th Man Magazines or responding to letters. "She doesn't have a job and I don't have a job," Gary said. "Then our daughter (Paige) and I started a business together, grandchildren had come along, and things just kept moving on.". Not too many players transfer from Texas A&M. I wanted to coach baseball, the former Texas Tech outfielder said. Blair, 65, also became the oldest women's coach to win a national championship. 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 . GARY BLAIR, head women's basketball coach at Texas A&M University since 2003, led the Aggies to an NCAA national championship in 2011. I told Sue that two things have to happen: you have to come with me and my wife has to come with me. One of my biggest pet peeves is adults who refuse to admit to mistakes. He announced in October that this would be his final season after 19 seasons at Texas A&M. . I had to put silk flowers in the urinals at away games because we always had to use the boys locker room as visitors. Texas A&M Women's Basketball Coaching Staff | TexAgs Long-time assistant coach Kelly Bond-White is obviously helping with those recruiting efforts. The USA team won their opening seven games, behind the scoring leadership of Sheri Sam, who averaged 13 points per game. They used to ride in vans and wear tube socks. He was with me two or three years. Guard Destiny Pitts said Blair has influenced her beyond basketball. During his stint at Arkansas, the womens game evolved in a way Blair had always hoped to see. Pam Green went on to star at Missouri. Texas A&M was picked to finish second in the SEC preseason coaches' poll, and is ranked No. 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. Fantasy women's basketball: Will the addition of Candace Parker shake up fantasy values on the Aces? I'm going to sit down and enjoy watching. [12], Blair is married to Kyla Blair and has four children and nine grandchildren. 9 seed for the NCAA Tournament and reached the NCAA Final Four. But the time has come.. On Thursday night, Blair will coach the Texas A&M women's team at . He talks about his beginnings often, about the chances he was given and the opportunities he seized. I switched my major to kinesiology. She was the first 6-3 kid who could play all five positions. According to Brown-McCoy, most of the girls had never traveled outside of the Dallas area. Bobby Knight would have a hard time coaching today, and Barmore. I wait for people to screw up and then go in on the white horse and resurrect the program. 2:28p, 3/5/20. The years he spent at South Oak Cliff were some of his favorites. The Aggies (14-12, 4-10 SEC) will miss the NCAA Tournament this season unless they stun in the conference tournament. . Division regular season champion You know, you just remember all those wonderful things, he said. 2023 Maroon & White LP. Look at the impact hes had on a countless number of people. After this season his 50th coaching Blair will retire and leave a stamp the size of Texas on the game of basketball. 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. "We couldn't have done this 20 years ago, because we didn't have cellphones.". He was raised in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Dallas. Right now, it's a mess in college athletics. We're trying to redo my study and our game room. 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. 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. Thanks Coach. However, I know that it is time for this to be my final season. The USA team was dominant, winning their games by an average off 33 points per game. A&M (23-2) not only believed it deserved one of the four top seeds as SEC regular-season champion, but the Aggies were mystified they were shoved under the Texas Longhorns roof for the opener. [2] During his five seasons there, Louisiana Tech reached the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament four times, winning two national championships. [19], On October 28, 2021, Blair announced he would retire from coaching at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. ", "It's really special for us to be playing in his last season," Aggies guard Destiny Pitts said. I think we shared that reaction, Nixon said. You want to see people compete. 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. 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 . Fantasy women's basketball: Whose numbers could fall in 2023? Seems like a disproportionately hostile response. He published his autobiography, A Coaching Life, last year. If its about money, Garrido said with a wry smile, well play in Austin.. Gary Blair is the son of Lee, a plaster foreman, and Jean, a housewife. During his first season, the Lady Razorbacks won 15 of their 29 games, their first winning season in several years. Timing is everything in coaching. 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. Thank you. The sport was narrowly on his radar in 1972 when he was a PE teacher at South Oak Cliff in Dallas. When he told us, we were a little surprised because we know that he could keep coaching if he wants to. I do not miss that, but I miss the evaluations. Arkansas, Gary's former school and Nan's current school, and Dayton are the other two entrants in the College Station event. It will be a symbol of all those that helped build this program and all the Aggies that battle on that court, not just in women's basketball, but in men's basketball and volleyball as well. Every one of the players he helped coach during that tournament later went on to play in the WNBA. "She had white scrubs on and looked like a nurse. 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. 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. Thanks David it's great to hear from Coach Blair Aggie Legend! Been divorced for about 4 years. He grew up playing baseball, and as a 128-pound center fielder at Bryan Adams High School, he received all-city honors in 1963. For his efforts, Blair was inducted into the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame. We keep starters in (for enough time) and develop everyone. He bowled on a faculty team with their mother, Shirley. 978-1-62349-536-7 Cloth Blairs final season with the Aggiesbegins on Nov. 9 against A&M-Corpus Christi at Reed Arena. Brent Zwerneman is a staff writer for the Houston Chronicle covering Texas A&M athletics. Senior captain Jordan Nixon admitted she was caught off guard when Blair informed the team this would be his final season. No wonder he is coaching so long gotta reestablish himself. Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. . Every game is a Super Bowl to me.. Been engaged a year to a wonderful lady. 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. Try a week on us. "I've got nine grandkids that I want to go spend more time with. Can you talk about how you assembled your infamous coaching staff at Arkansas? There is the good, the bad and the ugly of social media. Blair can keep going, listing players from those South Oak Cliff teams. 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. As older coaches, we have to change with todays kids. You could get it done at those smaller venues back then. & Nancy Foran, Media: [7][18], Gary Blair was also selected as a 2012 namesake for Texas A&M's extended orientation camp, "Fish Camp". I lived for that. . To me, thats the least of my worries. Although I am excited to begin a new chapter in my life, I am even more excited to compete this year. Somebody that might be better than me can get the job done better. The Astros gave four underdog pitchers a shot. Post-spoiler alert: The NCAA chose Austin, and the Longhorns advanced to the College World Series. I THINK she heads up the Arky nursing school. Ive never fired a person in my life, back to restaurant manager days. He should do it on his terms. Texas A&M names court for women's coach Gary Blair in his home finale In the 1970s the kids had to wash their own clothes. Where is this coming from?, We understand. He was underpaid, he worked around facility issues, he had to better himself as a coach. Well, I get the opportunity to have about 35 to 38 still left in me this year. We (coaching staff) spent two hours last night with current recruits, Blair said. You have to get outside. 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. Early in his first season, he offered four free tickets to a game during an interview on a local radio station. Earlier this season. [7] He also started the boys and girls golf team, and served as its first coach as well. And thats OK. . Blair is a member of seven halls of fame, including the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Gary Blair - Women's Basketball Coach - Texas A&M Athletics - 12thMan.com Ive got a saying: today I gave all I had, and what I kept Ive lost forever. Vic turned it down and came with me to Texas A&M, and Amber stayed. When theyre young we do a lot of individual practices to keep improving their skill level. Boston sets SEC record in Blair's home farewell - ESPN 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. At each new place, there was a new challenge and something to build, but it was always worth it, he said. "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.". From 1993-2003, he was the head coach at Arkansas. Then I joined the Marine Corps. [3] At South Oak Cliff, Blair coached Debra and Kim Rodman, Dennis Rodman's sisters. Gary Blair charity golf tournament and dinner back in full swing 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. Oct. 28, 2021 Updated: Oct. 28, 2021 11:36 a.m. Didn't realize I said something inappropriate. It won't be difficult to go see the team play, but it will be difficult to realize that I have a seat. The very best thing I could do was stay with those girls. [13], The following year the Aggies improved, earning a postseason invitation for the first time since 1996. . Well, I wasnt busy coaching baseball, so I jumped on that chance. The British Open is coming up. 28 color photos. . For me, hes been almost like a grandfather, she said. On March 29, 2011, Gary Blair led the program to its first ever Final Four appearance by defeating top-seeded Baylor 58-46. Then Arkansas made the mistake of not hiring him when I left. Joni Taylor is doing very well. 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After his tour, he lived in the Los Angeles area, running a restaurant in Costa Mesa and Culver City. I pull for people whove had to go through things. Overall, Blair has 852 career wins, 12th all-time in Division I history, and has led the Aggies to 16 NCAA tournaments, eight Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and five conference titles along with the the 2011 national championship. I can tell you everything about Wimbledon because I got to watch a lot of it. The game was tied at 45 all, when the USA hit several free throws to take a lead they would not give up. [9], Blair was inducted into the Ladyjack Hall of Fame during halftime of the Ladyjacks game against the Aggies on December 2, 2008. Bryce Young vs. C.J. 8 b&w photos. She is the answer going forward with this program.. My job was to massage the egos. Weve lost recent games to South Carolina and Tennessee, but we were right there until the last possession. The team, unranked in the national polls, received a No.
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