The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents recently approved a contract extension for head women’s basketball coach Gary Blair through 2015.
Blair, a two-time national finalist for the prestigious Naismith Coach of the Year Award, has brought instant respect to the Texas A&M women’s basketball program since his appointment in 2003. Blair and his loyal coaching staff, comprised of longtime associate head coach and defensive mastermind Vic Schaefer, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Kelly Bond and assistant coach Johnnie Harris, have elevated A&M into one of the nation’s elite programs in their eight seasons in Aggieland.
One of the winningest active Division I coaches in the women’s game today, Blair has guided the Aggies to a program-best No. 3 ranking in the national polls, a school-record five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances including a historic run to the Elite Eight in 2008, the Sweet 16 in 2009 and their third Big 12 Championship in 2010.
Over the last four years, A&M has put together an impressive 107-31 (.775) record under Blair to mark the best four-year span in school history. The Aggies are also one of only three elite programs to receive a No. 2 seed or higher in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years.
This season, Blair has guided the Aggies to a No. 5 national ranking and a 14-1 record, which matches the best start in school history. A&M has won eight straight games, which is its longest winning streak since Blair directed the 2008-09 Aggies to a school-record 12 consecutive wins to begin the season.
“Coach Blair has created a culture of excellence in Aggie women’s basketball unlike anything ever achieved at Texas A&M,” Director of Athletics Bill Byrne said. “He has built a following for women’s basketball that rivals the very best programs in America, and our women’s team is now routinely ranked among the best in the United States. Coach Blair is a proven winner himself and I see our program’s success continuing for years to come.”
Blair’s overall record is even more impressive with a .708 winning percentage over the course of his 26-year coaching career which includes stops at Stephen F. Austin from 1985-93 and Arkansas from 1993-03. Blair became the all-time winningest women’s basketball coach in Texas A&M history with an 84-53 victory over Portland State in the NCAA First Round on March 20, 2010.
“I’m pleased that the University showed enough confidence in my ability to warrant another three-year extension to my existing contract,” said Blair. “This will also be able to tell all the recruits across the nation that Coach Gary Blair will be here and has no intentions of leaving. I’m happy with A&M, I’m happy with the extension, but I’m even happier with the basketball team that I’m coaching.”
The fifth-ranked Aggies return to action on Saturday with an 11 a.m. game at Missouri that is televised nationally on FSN.