Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

4/5/2011 at 3:00pm

Somewhat surprisingly, former Arkansas women’s basketball coach Gary Blair has been a frequent talk radio guest and talk radio topic this month. Blair has Texas A&M in tonight’s NCAA championship game opposite Notre Dame and the reaction has been significant in the state where he once coached and still lives part-time.

Blair still has family and a home in Fayetteville where he coached for 10 seasons, so it’s understandable that a segment of the population would notice. Folks that interacted with and covered Blair on a regular basis are no doubt rooting for him tonight against Notre Dame.

A&M is only a 2½-point underdog tonight in the national title game, and Blair has the Aggies there 13 seasons after he guided the Razorbacks to a Final Four. Arkansas never got that far again. There was a 1999 WNIT championship and run of three consecutive appearances to the second round of the NCAA to end Blair’s tenure here.

Knowing how tirelessly Blair worked to promote his teams and himself (sometimes to his own detriment), you can’t help but admire what he’s accomplished. Blair deserves to be applauded for a surprising run to the national title game and you can bet friends and a media member or two who covered him at Arkansas will kick back a few cold Coors Lights in his honor whether he wins or loses.

Celebrating the man’s accomplishments is fine if you genuinely care about what he’s done. But too many folks seem to be hijacking what should be Blair’s crowning achievement and using it to further an agenda against administrators who no longer even work in the same capacity they once did.

What’s the point in that?

There are plenty of reasons to dislike what former chancellor John White did in relation to athletics. If your zeal for what Blair is doing is to reinforce your dislike for White, then you're beating a dead horse.

If the excitement of the Texas A&M title game appearance is fueled by a genuine love of women’s basketball, fine. But the energy would surely be better applied to support of the current Arkansas coach and players. They aren’t a consistent NCAA Tournament program currently, but are no doubt working to get to that point.

This year’s NIT quarterfinal appearance is a step in the right direction, and Tom Collen’s recruiting has improved each year, even if the results aren’t always apparent in the Southeastern Conference.

If all of this outcry over Blair’s departure stems from wanting to see an Arkansas women’s athletic program maintain national relevance, then shift your attention to the gymnastics program. Channel your support to the program that Mark and Rene Cook have built. They average a little more than 3,000 fans per meet in Barnhill and would no doubt love to see this sort of passion from a new segment of fans.

Gymnastics has been a nationally relevant program since that first year. Since 2003 the program has been to eight NCAA Regionals and on Saturday the Razorbacks clinched a fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships.

What’s lost in all the Blair nostalgia (and perhaps a touch of revisionist history) is that a nationally relevant gymnastics program has been developed from scratch. Former Chancellor John White and senior athletic director Bev Lewis are responsible for envisioning what the gymnastics program could be, but they won't get credit for that since they happen to be the same folks “responsible” for Blair taking his talents to College Station.

Arkansas has finished in the Top 12 of the NCAA in gymnastics in five of the last six years. That’s a remarkable feat for a nine-year-old program, particularly when you consider that the same four programs (Georgia, UCLA, Utah and Alabama) have a stranglehold on national championships in the sport since it became recognized in 1982. And you thought women’s hoops was tough with UConn and Tennessee around, right?

Blair said earlier today on an Arkansas sports talk show in that he felt “unappreciated.” That is one of the reasons he said he left for A&M.

Arkansas administrators — current and former – have their version of the breakup with Blair. There is, of course, a version of events from Blair’s perspective. Fans seem to have their own thoughts.

Somewhere in all of that is reality. Dwelling on the details of why Blair is no longer here is really counterproductive.

What would be productive after rooting for Blair in tonight’s title game is to turn this newfound passion for women’s athletics toward the coaches and programs currently in Fayetteville. Let them know they’re appreciated.

Make these coaches and athletes relevant topics of conversation while they’re here, actually accomplishing things. Don’t wait to care until they’re long gone and there’s nothing that can be done about it but complain.

Tagged: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Texas A&M Aggies, Tom Collen, Dr. John White, Bev Lewis, Gary Blair, Arkansas Razorbacks