He still talks to others from those teams frequently. 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. We missed out on plenty of them, he said, laughing. Fantasy women's basketball: Will the addition of Candace Parker shake up fantasy values on the Aces. Try a week on us. [3], In his third season with the Aggies, Blair guided his team to their first Associated Press Top 25 ranking in ten years. Fantasy women's basketball: Will the addition of Candace Parker shake up fantasy values on the Aces? So Blair will walk away this season after making a massive mark in so many places. Vic Schaefer came with me when Tom took the Colorado job. I will not be second-guessing. The eternally quippable Metcalf, Lemons and Garrido all have since passed on to that coaches comedy club in the clouds, but theres at least one old-school coach in the region still owning the fastest facetiousness in Texas. RUSTY BURSON, author of. Theres no one in my generation who will ever eclipse his achievements. Shelby Metcalf, who coached the men's team for 27 seasons, is the school's winningest coach. 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. All ex-players and all ex-coaches think we have one more (game) left in us, Blair said. Rodman is a sports fan. "Then our daughter (Paige) and I started a business together, grandchildren had come along, and things just kept moving on.". Every game is a Super Bowl to me.. The Make or Break For Jimbo's Tenure, Cromartie taking shots at the coaching staff. I enrolled in May, 1969 when everyone was trying to stay out. Blair will leave Aggieland as the winningest coach in Texas A&M history. Texas A&M's Gary Blair is retiring | KWKT - FOX 44 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. . Fantasy women's basketball: Whose numbers could fall in 2023? ", "I love Aggieland, and I love Fayetteville," Gary said. "I always evaluate myself on: Am I giving everything I have, is my health good and am I still able to make an impact on young lives?" "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. As older coaches, we have to change with todays kids. 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. Blair, 76, has won 838 games in his career at Stephen F. Austin . You cant (raise your voice at young people) anymore. Blair is well-known and well-liked throughout the SEC. Sonja Hogg is the first lady of college basketball: she knew how to dress, how to press, and she knew how to recruit. The Louisiana Tech position paid $22,500 and also provided a six-year-old brown station wagon. "We couldn't have done this 20 years ago, because we didn't have cellphones.". I took the job thinking this will be good for a year or two. To me, thats the least of my worries. 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. 9 Replies | That allowed me to hire Mike, and it was the best hire Ive ever had. He figures to be honored in opposing gyms. He is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School and Sam Houston State University, where he played baseball. . I pull for people whove had to go through things. The years he spent at South Oak Cliff were some of his favorites. [14], Following their successful season, Blair was named the Women's Basketball News Service National Coach of the Year. Athletic Director Ross Bjork said that she would be among those under consideration. There wont be another one (like him), A&M mens basketball coach Buzz Williams said of Blair. In the final game, the USA beat South Korea to finish the competition with a perfect 93 record. Im around all the other events; Im the only coach thats in a civic club. . Reflection is a good time instead of procrastination, which I've done for a long time. 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I almost found out (against Georgia earlier this month) when we got beat in overtime. They asked for volunteers to coach (girls) basketball (at South Oak Cliff), and the girls next door asked me if Id coach. Schools all send me away with a gift basket and the kindest words. Wed take the kids home after practice just load up cars take them home. I left the high school game in 1980 when Barmore and Hogg called me up. 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 . Blair will complete a 50-year coaching career when this season ends. kissing my wife on the floor of Conseco Fieldhouse . The key to keeping a good sense of humor through this long stroll called life? Thats my strength. Texas A&M names court for women's coach Gary Blair in his home finale Not too many players transfer from Texas A&M. A Dallas native, Blair was the head coach at South Oak Cliff High school from 1973-1980. The coming season will almost certainly include. Thats why its time. I just need an arena with 94 feet to be able to compete.. 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.. After a divorce between Blair and his wife of 30-plus years, Blair married Kyla Gay in 2020. [13], The following year the Aggies improved, earning a postseason invitation for the first time since 1996. But hes still the most positive man and most popular coach in this town. Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, right, and his wife, Nan, make a long-distance relationship work. All rights reserved. Dennis stayed and became the best he could be. Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial. Blair oozes pride when he mentions the women who helped him find his calling all those years ago. TexAgs is an independent site and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. "I've got nine grandkids that I want to go spend more time with. 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). The very best thing I could do was stay with those girls. Conference regular season champion Im a builder, so I had to build that Stephen F team. I have enough energy. Sometimes you have to wait for things. A new professional league, and you were seeing more people at college games around that time, too. 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. I flunked out of architecture, which didnt make me eligible for baseball. The only friend Ive ever hired is Vic; everyone else I hire for their strengths. 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. Unfortunately, these kids today, before they get finished with a practice theyre talking to their supporters, their friends or their mama about their bad practice. Its been great this year to reflect at every gym we go to, to talk to other coaches Ive known for years, he said. [3] For the first time in his career, however, one of Blair's team suffered a losing season. 6.12 x 9.25 x 0 in 288 pp. A&M's Blair, Arkansas-based wife make marriage work - Chron Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair will retire after the 2021-22 season, officially making the announcement in a school release Thursday morning. Blairs coaching tree includes Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer and Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors, whose teams Texas A&M faces in Southeastern Conference play. Back then I felt like the girls needed me. Im not playing kids just to keep them from transferring. 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. "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. Blair joined TexAgs Radio on Monday morning to discuss life after basketball and so much more. . "He has a lot of wisdom. However, I know that it is time for this to be my final season. We stayed another five years. 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. 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. Hes helped me a lot off the court, too..