Blair Announced as Nominee for Naismith Hall of Fame
Dec 21, 2022 | Women's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Texas A&M women's basketball legend Gary Blair was announced as a nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Wednesday.
Blair holds the 12th-most wins in Division history, having won 852 games throughout his 37 years as a collegiate head coach. The Dallas native registered 35 winning seasons and 30 20-win seasons. He is one of three coaches to have taken two-or-more schools to the final four (Arkansas, Texas A&M).
Blair is also the namesake for the court at Reed Arena. He is one of only six women's basketball coaches to have ever had a Division I court named in their honor (Pat Summitt – Tennessee, Kay Yow – NC State, Doug Bruno – DePaul, Joe Foley – Little Rock, C. Vivian Stringer – Rutgers). He won 444 games, five conference titles and took the Aggies to 16 NCAA Tournaments in his 19 seasons leading the Maroon & White.
A pioneer of the game, Blair was an assistant coach for the Louisiana Tech women's basketball team from 1980-85 that won two national titles, including the inaugural NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament during the 1981-82 season.
He took the Aggies to the pinnacle of the sport in 2011 when A&M defeated Notre Dame, 76-70. Blair is one of 16 coaches in women's basketball history to have a national title on their resume. During the Aggies' NCAA championship run, Blair defeated four Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees (C. Vivian Stringer, Kim Mulkey, Tara VanDerveer, Muffet McGraw). He has the most wins of any national championship winning coach that is not in the Hall of Fame by over 250 victories (Brenda Frese – 602, Marsha Sharp – 571, Dawn Staley – 550*).
The Dallas native's coaching tree spans the high school and collegiate ranks as nearly 60 former players, assistants and support staff members have gone on to success after their time with Blair, including eight current Division I head coaches (Kim Mulkey – LSU, Vic Schaefer – Texas, Mike Neighbors – Arkansas, Johnnie Harris – Auburn, Nell Fortner – Georgia Tech, A'Quonesia Franklin – Lamar, Kelly Bond-White – Southern Illinois, Sytia Messer – UCF). Blair coached 16 Aggies that were selected in the WNBA Draft, and nearly 30 former players have enjoyed successful professional careers overseas.
This is the second nomination for Blair to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Finalists for the North American and Women's committee for the Class of 2022 will be announced during NBA All-Star Weekend, which is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 17 at 4:30 p.m. CT in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Hall of Fame will also reveal the full Enshrinement schedule at this time. The entire Class of 2022, including those selected by the direct elect committees, will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in Houston at 10 a.m. on April 1.
*Dawn Staley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2013.
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Visit for more information on Texas A&M women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWBB.
Blair holds the 12th-most wins in Division history, having won 852 games throughout his 37 years as a collegiate head coach. The Dallas native registered 35 winning seasons and 30 20-win seasons. He is one of three coaches to have taken two-or-more schools to the final four (Arkansas, Texas A&M).
Blair is also the namesake for the court at Reed Arena. He is one of only six women's basketball coaches to have ever had a Division I court named in their honor (Pat Summitt – Tennessee, Kay Yow – NC State, Doug Bruno – DePaul, Joe Foley – Little Rock, C. Vivian Stringer – Rutgers). He won 444 games, five conference titles and took the Aggies to 16 NCAA Tournaments in his 19 seasons leading the Maroon & White.
A pioneer of the game, Blair was an assistant coach for the Louisiana Tech women's basketball team from 1980-85 that won two national titles, including the inaugural NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament during the 1981-82 season.
He took the Aggies to the pinnacle of the sport in 2011 when A&M defeated Notre Dame, 76-70. Blair is one of 16 coaches in women's basketball history to have a national title on their resume. During the Aggies' NCAA championship run, Blair defeated four Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees (C. Vivian Stringer, Kim Mulkey, Tara VanDerveer, Muffet McGraw). He has the most wins of any national championship winning coach that is not in the Hall of Fame by over 250 victories (Brenda Frese – 602, Marsha Sharp – 571, Dawn Staley – 550*).
The Dallas native's coaching tree spans the high school and collegiate ranks as nearly 60 former players, assistants and support staff members have gone on to success after their time with Blair, including eight current Division I head coaches (Kim Mulkey – LSU, Vic Schaefer – Texas, Mike Neighbors – Arkansas, Johnnie Harris – Auburn, Nell Fortner – Georgia Tech, A'Quonesia Franklin – Lamar, Kelly Bond-White – Southern Illinois, Sytia Messer – UCF). Blair coached 16 Aggies that were selected in the WNBA Draft, and nearly 30 former players have enjoyed successful professional careers overseas.
This is the second nomination for Blair to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Finalists for the North American and Women's committee for the Class of 2022 will be announced during NBA All-Star Weekend, which is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 17 at 4:30 p.m. CT in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Hall of Fame will also reveal the full Enshrinement schedule at this time. The entire Class of 2022, including those selected by the direct elect committees, will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in Houston at 10 a.m. on April 1.
*Dawn Staley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2013.
Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWBB.
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