Hes eager for that final year of competition. 5,245 Views | He got the nickname "The Worm" from playing pinball back in the day. "Thank you and Gig 'Em. Fantasy women's basketball: Whose numbers could fall in 2023? We (coaching staff) spent two hours last night with current recruits, Blair said. After a divorce between Blair and his wife of 30-plus years, Blair married Kyla Gay in 2020. It didnt take long five successful seasons for others to come calling for Blair. After I completed my failure in architecture, I had to sit out a semester and a summer before I could come back, and by that time baseball was over. We stayed another five years. Whether youre shopping Way Day 2023 or Walmart, theres an al fresco set for you. Blair, 76, has won 838 games in his career at Stephen F. Austin . [5] He earned his master's degree in education from the school in 1974. looking toward the stands, where my grandson was . The program had solidified itself as one of the best in Texas, and Blair had established a foothold in basketball. Women's college basketball succession plan -- Who's got next at - ESPN [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. 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. Ask Liucci: Spring football takeaways, A&M's spring sports & more, Follow The Money - Ep. Y'all keep playing.' All the other men coached boys basketball and football. Guard Destiny Pitts said Blair has influenced her beyond basketball. It would have been 16 had the 2020 tournament not been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All ex-players and all ex-coaches think we have one more (game) left in us, Blair said. He is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School and Sam Houston State University, where he played baseball. 10-2 This Year. Sometimes, we can agree to disagree. Hes helped me a lot off the court, too.. Just last week Texans GM Nick Caserio was deflecting rumors of a possible departure. Ive got some (players) who can mimic me pretty good, and theyre usually right on. Request a review copy, Professors: [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. A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair. Sometimes you have to wait for things. ", "It's really special for us to be playing in his last season," Aggies guard Destiny Pitts said. As for life after coaching, Blair said quality time with his family is at the top of his list. Texas A&M women's coach Gary Blair to retire at season's end - Chron Its also important to get kids involved in other things on campus besides basketball. "Just because of the impact that he's had on the women's game. Sometimes I want to do things with my wife and my grandkids. The sport was narrowly on his radar in 1972 when he was a PE teacher at South Oak Cliff in Dallas. The focus instead will be on Blairs final season. 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. Garrido won five national titles while leading Cal State Fullerton and Texas, while Blair achieved what few figured possible in inheriting the Big 12s worst basketball program in 2003: a national title in 2011. Its been a great ride, Blair told The Athletic. As older coaches, we have to change with todays kids. [4] He would coach under Leon Barmore, who replaced Hogg. [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. 0. 42 (UConn wins Dance; WBB ratings boom), 'I'm very honored and humbled': Gary Blair discusses Hall of Fame honor. Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. Finish last in medical school, and they call you a doctor.. [2] During his five seasons there, Louisiana Tech reached the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament four times, winning two national championships. 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. She was named to the Texas High School Hall of Fame and she was the first female athletic director in Dallas ISD in 2001. In the spring of 1977, Blair and the Bears won their first state championship. I want to be known in this community as more than just a basketball coach, and people appreciate that. 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. Cessna: Aggieland has one more season to appreciate Gary Blair - The Eagle At each new place, there was a new challenge and something to build, but it was always worth it, he said. You have to get outside. In the eighth game, they played undefeated Slovakia, in a game that would determine the gold medal. 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. 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 . Whether you're walking for exercise or playing pickleballlike my wife does on Monday nights. I took the job thinking this will be good for a year or two. I want to be like R.C.. 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 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. But he drew in others, like Sydney Colson and Danielle Adams around the same time, both of whom were on the Aggies 2011 national championship team. I never sat down during our games for 19 years. Idont need a rocking chair or a plaque or anything like that. 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. 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. Why now? I turned it down to stay with the women. "It's who's going to retire first who's going to win that battle," said a grinning Gary, 66. 2023 Maroon & White LP. Blair joined TexAgs Radio on Monday morning to discuss life after basketball and so much more. 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. 15th seed Troy in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Blair, 65, also became the oldest women's coach to win a national championship. If its about money, Garrido said with a wry smile, well play in Austin.. When theyre young we do a lot of individual practices to keep improving their skill level. And thats OK. Going into the season, he ranked eighth among active Division I coaches for career coaching victories. Blair endorsed her as his eventual successor. His teams reached the semifinals in the SEC tournament in both 2001 and 2002.[3]. You think of all the people over the years, he said. 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TexAgs is an independent site and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. He was also interviewing for the New Mexico State job, which he didnt want to take. During his last six seasons, his teams were consistently ranked in the final AP Top 25 polls. Then I give them responsibility and let them work. "Skinny," Nan said, chuckling, of the man who would later lead Texas A&M to a national title thanks in part to his recruiting acumen. 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. A Dallas native, Blair was the head coach at South Oak Cliff High school from 1973-1980. Blair was intrigued by the universitys facilities, its athletic prowess in other sports and its location.
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