Gary Blair, who started coaching career at South Oak Cliff, inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame
SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 12: 2023 inductee Gary Blair speaks during the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Induction at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2023 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - One of the greatest women's basketball coaches in history, Gary Blair, took his place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Dallas native started his coaching career at South Oak Cliff High School.
He then spent 37 years coaching college basketball at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, and finally Texas A&M.
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Blair won more than 70% of his games.
In 2011, he led the Lady Aggies to the NCAA Championship.
"It's unbelievable to look back on my career to even comprehend that I began coaching, full-time, professional in August of 1972, at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas. That's more than 50 years ago," he said during his induction speech. "We need more representation of women in this hall of fame. As coaches, as players, administrators, and all of the greats that have elevated the women's game."