Ive got some (players) who can mimic me pretty good, and theyre usually right on. We have a little travel in our plans, and I have a busy month of September coming up. Blair joined TexAgs Radio on Monday morning to discuss life after basketball and so much more. [20], Gary Blair was named the assistant coach of the 1996 R. William Jones Cup Team. Blair is well-known and well-liked throughout the SEC. 42 (UConn wins Dance; WBB ratings boom), 'I'm very honored and humbled': Gary Blair discusses Hall of Fame honor. 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. That team, that year, Blair said. I enrolled in May, 1969 when everyone was trying to stay out. I got early outs in December, 1970. 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. Sonja Hogg is the first lady of college basketball: she knew how to dress, how to press, and she knew how to recruit. I never sat down during our games for 19 years. Can you talk about how you assembled your infamous coaching staff at Arkansas? Sometimes you grow up, and sometimes you grow. In November of that year, I made the decision to take the Louisiana Tech assistant job. It was very good. What we want to do is make sure Coach is celebrated., Obviously we know (Bond-White) very well. [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. [4], National champion In his eight years with the school, he compiled a 210-43 record, including 25 wins in just his second season as a head coach. 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. 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). After a divorce between Blair and his wife of 30-plus years, Blair married Kyla Gay in 2020. [7], In October 1980, Blair was offered an assistant coaching job at Louisiana Tech by then-head coach Sonja Hogg. 6.12 x 9.25 x 0 in 288 pp. Abe Lemons once described the difference between coaching and most other jobs. After a strong first day of draft, Houston is the place to be. Thats when I went to South Oak Cliff High School and got one of few jobs that were open. Those were special years.. 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.. So many things happened that I will never forget . The competition was held in Taipei, Taiwan. I have no regrets and just hold my colleagues, my players and the game in such high regards. 15th seed Troy in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Thought it was strange she never moved to College Station. Back then I felt like the girls needed me. I had a rule for my kids that they had to play all of (the sports). The USA team was dominant, winning their games by an average off 33 points per game. [17], On April 3, 2011, the Aggies defeated top-seeded Stanford 6362 to advance to the national title game. Over the past 19 seasons, the program . He was a good kid, and he grew eight inches after high school. Ask Liucci: Spring football takeaways, A&M's spring sports & more, Follow The Money - Ep. Blair still marvels at the serendipity that brought him to coaching. Im not playing kids just to keep them from transferring. Wishing you all the best in your retirement. Im a product of Title XI, as I was the first man to coach women in the city of Dallas. She will be somebody we will keep an eye on throughout the year just as we will a lot of different coaches around the country.. Gary Blair provides an update on retirement and life after basketball. Her first impression of the convivial coach and his recruiting ability? Chennedy (Carter) hit a three and I thought we would pull it off, but Georgia controlled the OT. 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. Karl Malone was playing at Louisiana Tech at that time. 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. You played baseball in college. Sometimes you have to wait for things. Thank you. I pull for all the older men and women. Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. At the time of the offer, Blair was making an annual salary of $22,000. 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 . We keep starters in (for enough time) and develop everyone. Weve done a good job of bringing in the right kids with the right parents. 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. There is the good, the bad and the ugly of social media. My all-city friend came to see us play the other day, and hes the bench warmer now. "Then our daughter (Paige) and I started a business together, grandchildren had come along, and things just kept moving on.". Melissa Gregg is a Dallas police officer. Long-time assistant coach Kelly Bond-White is obviously helping with those recruiting efforts. According to Brown-McCoy, most of the girls had never traveled outside of the Dallas area. During his first season, the Lady Razorbacks won 15 of their 29 games, their first winning season in several years. 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. The key to keeping a good sense of humor through this long stroll called life? Well, I wasnt busy coaching baseball, so I jumped on that chance. "Aggieland is a special place and has always been my destination," Blair said. 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. Texas A&M names court for women's coach Gary Blair in his home finale He was in my third-period PE class. 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. [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. 1 and No. Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. Blair eventually took the leap and made the move, joining Sonja Hoggs staff as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech, which went to four Final Fours and won two national championships while Blair was on the coaching staff. Great for Gary. Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair announced on Thursday that this season will be the last of his historic career. I dont want to just win ball games; I want to make a difference and be in every game. We have recently updated ourPrivacy Policy. It wasnt long before we saw he was a money-making machine. "But I've done Fayetteville. Following his high school graduation in 1963, he enrolled at Texas Tech University, where he failed out of architecture, and moved to California to become a restaurant manager. Weve lost recent games to South Carolina and Tennessee, but we were right there until the last possession. That will be enough., Its time to go do the other things in life. In the family: Kelly Bond-White, Texas A&M associate head . In basketball I stayed in shape, but I couldnt shoot a lick. Guard Destiny Pitts said Blair has influenced her beyond basketball. As he had done at every stop so far, Blair got to Nacogdoches a small town in East Texas and started winning. Division regular season champion This outlines how and why we collect, store and use your personal data when you use our website. Why now? Whatever social media tells them to do, they live it in that moment. We support him.. Early in his first season, he offered four free tickets to a game during an interview on a local radio station. Gary Blair Announces Retirement at End of Season I just want to be the ordinary Joe about town. He figured he had a few more years left in him. After this season his 50th coaching Blair will retire and leave a stamp the size of Texas on the game of basketball. 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. 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[10], As the head coach of the women's basketball team at Arkansas, Blair compiled a 198-120 record. You know, I think I could coach till I am 80, Blair, now 76, said. . 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. Blair has been at Texas A&M since 2003, leading the Aggies to a national championship in 2011. Somebody that might be better than me can get the job done better. I was used to that for 50 years, but now, it's a little bit different. 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Early in his high school career, he was the most average guy that you had ever seen. During his last six seasons, his teams were consistently ranked in the final AP Top 25 polls. Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Its still difficult to describe the scene after the final buzzer sounded, because the moment was just so damned surreal, writes head coach Gary Blair following the conclusion of the title game of the 2011 NCAA Division I womens basketball tournament. The Aggies have won four conference titles and made 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances that have included five Sweet Sixteen berths, three trips to the Elite Eight, and a National Championship in 2011. I think its just time for me to stop.. When I cant compete for championships anymore, its time to leave. To me, thats the least of my worries. Coach's Chair: Gary Blair, Texas A&M University He ranks 12th in Division I history and fourth among active coaches. Going into the season, he ranked eighth among active Division I coaches for career coaching victories. He was previously head womens basketball coach at the University of Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin State University. I am missing work, and I am missing relationships. Finish last in your league, and they call you an idiot, said Lemons, Texas basketball coach from 1976-82. He saida conversation with former A&M football coach R.C. [3], In the 20062007 season, Blair's Aggies again scored over 20 wins and reached the NCAA Tournament, this time as the fourth seed, and advanced to the second round of the tournament. Texas A&M's Gary Blair Texas associate head coach Johnnie Harris has worked alongside Vic Schaefer since 2007. . When theyre young we do a lot of individual practices to keep improving their skill level. . They made it to the UIL Texas state tournament five years in a row and won the title three times. Sometimes, we can agree to disagree. What is the foundation for building a good team culture? Blair did the impossible. Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair to retire at end - ESPN The Aggies (22-10) are a third seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a favorite to emerge from the first two rounds in College Station and wind up in the Sweet 16 in Raleigh, N.C. 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. [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. He was also inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023. He is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School and Sam Houston State University, where he played baseball. Coach Gary Blair and the A&M women are ranked No. I am a product of Title IX and young ladies standing up for me and saying they wanted to be coached by somebody who cared. We won state the next year in 1977. Its really something.. Im a builder, so I had to build that Stephen F team. On March 29, 2011, Gary Blair led the program to its first ever Final Four appearance by defeating top-seeded Baylor 58-46. In 2003, Gary was hired from Arkansas to revive the Big 12's worst program in A&M. [14], Following their successful season, Blair was named the Women's Basketball News Service National Coach of the Year. [7] He also started the boys and girls golf team, and served as its first coach as well. They used to ride in vans and wear tube socks. Blair, 65, also became the oldest women's coach to win a national championship. 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. Wed take the kids home after practice just load up cars take them home. The very best thing I could do was stay with those girls. None of the big six major cities in Texas had womens athletics before Title IX. 0. The game was tied at 45 all, when the USA hit several free throws to take a lead they would not give up. In other sports Im pulling for the veteran coaches. [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. Blair notched his 750th career win last month. Not too many players transfer from 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. 28 color photos. "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. The years he spent at South Oak Cliff were some of his favorites. Idont need a rocking chair or a plaque or anything like that. When he told us, we were a little surprised because we know that he could keep coaching if he wants to. 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. I apologize. Try a week on us. For the one-liner on Texas A&M, turn to Gary Blair - Houston Chronicle "I've got nine grandkids that I want to go spend more time with. When I go back to reunions I feel good because a lot of those old people dont nearly look as good. Gary Blair Court at Reed Arena will be officially dedicated during a pregame . [3], Blair made history with his 19971998 team. For my teams at South Oak Cliff, a professional league wasnt a possibility, so to see how far things had come was something.. Every possession is a game in itself. I love competition. We cant get separation on teams, no one plays us close, our defense is solid but were not stopping people theyre scoring on us. Joni Taylor. At age 27, he used his G.I. 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). Where is this coming from?, We understand. I was an architecture major at TTU and a walk-on for baseball. [13], The following year the Aggies improved, earning a postseason invitation for the first time since 1996. A Dallas native, Blair was the head coach at South Oak Cliff High school from 1973-1980. Would be hard to leave that.