Former Hogs Coach Gary Blair to Retire After Season at A&M
Gary Blair has decided it's finally time to put an end to an illustrious career building powerhouse programs at two SEC schools.
After getting forced out at Arkansas following a decade where he coached Arkansas' women's basketball to eight postseason appearances, he went to Texas A&M where he won a national title.
Current Arkansas women's coach Mike Neighbors started his college coaching career with Blair in Fayetteville and the two still talk regularly ... except when the two teams meet on the floor.
That will be Feb. 3 this year in College Station, meaning Blair's final appearance at Bud Walton Arena was a 74-73 win over the Hogs last year.
Former Arkansas coach Gary Blair stepping down at end of year with Texas A&M.
Andy Hodges
Blair coached the Hogs to a Women's NIT title in 1998-99, a year after he reached the Final Four.
Blair is set to retire after this season with the Aggies, the school announced Thursday. Blair also came out with a statement, thanking the fans of the 12th Man.
“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,” Blair said. “However, I know that it is time for this to be my final season. Although I am excited to begin a new chapter in my life, I am even more excited to compete this year. We are the defending SEC Champions and have the toughest conference schedule in the league this year. I don’t want the fans to come out to send me off. I want the 12th Man to come out and support our players and this program. They have worked extremely hard this offseason and they deserve all the love we can give them. Thank you 12th Man, I can’t wait to see you at Reed Arena this year.”
Blair arrived in College Station back in 2003 following a run at Stephen F. Austin and Arkansas. Since then, he has led the Aggies to the 2011 NCAA Championship and won five conference titles, including the 2021 SEC regular season championship.
A&M athletic director Ross Bjork also released a statement.
“Coach Blair is a legend in women’s basketball and college sports. He has made a transformational impact on Texas A&M University, our athletics program and all of college basketball. His decades-long championship-caliber coaching acumen and recruiting ability has transcended many generations of women’s basketball players and his impact will be felt long after he hangs up the whistle. "
Blair set a school-record as he's coached in 430 games. He's currently nine wins away from becoming the all-time winningest basketball coach in Texas A&M history. The record is currently held by Shelby Metcalf, who won 438 men’s basketball games from 1963-1990.
All-time, Blair, 76 has 838 wins on his resume, placing him 12th in Division I history and fourth among active coaches. Beginning his career in 1973, Blair started at South Oak Cliff in Dallas and then was an assistant at Louisiana Tech before heading to Nacogdoches.
For his career, Blair has won three national championships and made six Final Fours, eight Elite Eights, 17 Sweet Sixteens, and 30 NCAA Tournaments. Blair led A&M to its first NCAA championship in 2011, defeating Notre Dame Indianapolis, Indiana.