31 Facts About Gary Blair

Gary Claude Blair was born on August 10,1945 and is a retired women's basketball head coach.

Gary Blair led the Aggies to the NCAA national championship in 2011.

Gary Blair is listed in the top 35 of the all-time winningest NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches, and he is one of the few coaches to guide three different schools to national rankings and NCAA Tournament berths.

Gary Blair was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.

Gary Blair is the son of Lee, a plaster foreman, and Jean, a housewife.

Gary Blair was raised in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Dallas.

Gary Blair grew up playing baseball, and as a 128-pound center fielder at Bryan Adams High School, he received all-city honors in 1963.

Gary Blair got a US Army draft notice in 1969, and decided to enlist in the US Marine Corps, completing a two-year tour of duty.

Gary Blair earned his master's degree in education from the school in 1974.

When head women's basketball coach Marsha Sharp retired from Texas Tech in 2006, Gary Blair got calls from his friends to take over the position.

South Oak Cliff had just started its women's basketball program, and Gary Blair became the team's first coach in 1973.

Gary Blair started the boys and girls golf team, and served as its first coach as well.

Gary Blair made $7,000 annually coaching all of these sports.

Gary Blair's teams won three state Class 4A championships, in 1977,1978, and 1980, and finished as the runner-up in 1979 by only two points.

At South Oak Cliff, Gary Blair coached Debra and Kim Rodman, Dennis Rodman's sisters.

In October 1980, Gary Blair was offered an assistant coaching job at Louisiana Tech by then-head coach Sonja Hogg.

At the time of the offer, Gary Blair was making an annual salary of $22,000.

Gary Blair initially rejected the offer, but upon his wife's encouragement, he accepted it.

Gary Blair's teams won seven straight conference championships, and appeared in the NCAA Tournament six times.

Gary Blair was inducted into the Ladyjack Hall of Fame during halftime of the Ladyjacks game against the Aggies on December 2,2008.

Gary Blair's teams reached the semifinals in the SEC tournament in both 2001 and 2002.

On February 20,2008, Gary Blair posted his 500th career win as a head coach at Reed Arena against the Iowa State Cyclones.

Gary Blair, 65, became the oldest women's coach to win a national championship.

Gary Blair was named the assistant coach of the 1996 R William Jones Cup Team.

Gary Blair has received the following honors over his coaching career:.

Gary Blair was inducted in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in June 2013.

Gary Blair was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023.

Much of his recruiting is done in-state, and Gary Blair says that he recruits students for their offensive showing and then teaches them to play defense later.

Gary Blair is married to Kyla Gary Blair and has four children and nine grandchildren.

Gary Blair has been a member of Rotary International for more than 20 years.

Gary Blair has held his "Celebrity Golf Classic" to benefit Special Olympics for over 15 years; recently, the program has raised over $100,000 annually.