THE BATTALION MAROON LIFE 4
A legacy left in paint
Graphic by Robert O’Brien & Casey Stavenhagen — THE BATTALION
Head women’s basketball coach Gary Blair will leave deep legacy at A&M By Jordan Epp @j_epp22
W
hen an Aggie attends their first women’s basketball game at Reed Arena, they may be caught off guard when they take notice of a silver-haired man, clad in a dress shirt and tie, marching the perimeter of the hardwood with a bucket in hand, throwing candy to fans. That man is coach Gary Blair, one of the winningest coaches in collegiate women’s basketball history. But in that moment, he isn’t coach Blair. He isn’t the guy who’s led the Aggies for nearly 20 years. He isn’t a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member. He isn’t the man with just one losing season in his collegiate career. In that moment, he is building relationships and a family with all in attendance. And whether you’re an Aggie, a fan of the opponent or even an official, no one is safe from his underhand tosses of Kit Kats. After 19 years with the maroon and white, Blair’s days as a candy-throwing legend — and as Texas A&M’s head coach — are coming to an end. On Oct. 28, 2021, Blair announced he will retire after the 2021-22 season.
“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?’” Blair said. “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. However, I know that it is time for this to be my final season.” Coach Blair has always seen family as an important pillar when building a program, assistant coach Kelly Bond-White said. “We’ve built the program around family,” Bond-White said. “You walk through our facilities, that’s all you see. We’ve always emphasized the ‘A’ and the ‘M’ are a part of family.” But, Blair hasn’t reached his level of success just from relationship building. He’s been described as having high expectations for his players. He’s demanding, but only because he’s knowledgeable about the game, former player under Blair, former WNBA athlete and a current member of his staff Sydney Carter said. Before Blair became who he is today, he had entirely separate aspirations: A dream of becoming a baseball coach. Having played America’s pastime growing up, and even at the collegiate level for a season with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, he felt qualified for the role. However, at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas where he was teaching phys-
ical education, he was offered the gig of starting up a women’s basketball program instead. He accepted the job and never looked back. With the South Oak Cliff Golden Bears, Blair won three state titles in seven years, winning just under 93% of all his games coached. He began to receive interest at the collegiate
level and was offered a spot as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech. As a member of the Lady Techsters’ staff, Blair coached another two national-title-winning teams in five years. Blair’s first head coaching job in the NCAA took him back to his home state of Texas where he took over the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks program in 1985. After seven-consecutive conference titles, an 83% win percentage and numerous AP top-25 appearances, Blair was finally ready to join a Power Five school. His journey took him to Arkansas next, where he and the Ladybacks’ reached the NCAA tournament five times in 10 years, going as far as the semifinals in the 1997-98 season. In 2003, though, Blair would once more have a homecoming to Texas, joining an A&M team without a winning season in its last seven years, a decision that forever made him an Aggie. “[Texas A&M] is different because of its student body,” Blair said. “They have bought into the Core Values and traditions and doing things the right way. “I lost my [college ring] after my first year that I graduated from Texas Tech. I still love Tech, but it wouldn’t occur to me to go buy another senior ring and wear it. But if I was an Aggie, I would wear it all my life.” Traditions, such as Ring Day and Muster, — that both occur at A&M and also tie in Aggies across the world — are what separate A&M from other schools, Blair said, and is why he will always consider himself
Graphic by Robert O’Brien & Casey Stavenhagen — THE BATTALION
