Bryan Blair is one of the most well-respected individuals in collegiate athletics. Bryan has served on committees and working groups within the NCAA and professional organizations, including the National Sports Forum's Business of Diversity in Sports and Entertainment committee. He also serves as a judge for the Women’s Sports Foundation Tara VanDerveer Fund and previously served on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC).
In 2017, Bryan was selected among 25 senior-level administrators from across the country to participate in the prestigious NCAA Pathway Program. The year-long, experiential learning program is designed to elevate those currently in senior-level positions within athletics administration to the next step in reaching their goal of becoming directors of athletics. Bryan is also a proud graduate of the NCAA’s Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, where he was peer-selected as the graduation speaker for the 2013 class.
Sports Industry Journey:
Education
D1 Student-Athlete: Defensive Linemen | Wofford College
Bachelor's Degree | History | Wofford College
Juris Doctorate | South Carolina School of Law
Career
Academic and Membership Affairs Internship | NCAA National HQ
Tailgate Ambassador | Houston Texans
Compliance Coordinator | Rice University
Assistant Director of Compliance Services | University of South Carolina
Senior Associate Athletic Director | Rice University
Senior Associate Athletic Director/COO | Washington State University
Twitter: @BtotheBlair
LinkedIn: Bryan Blair
What attracted you to work in sports/administration?
Well, both my parents and my grandma worked in education so I know I wanted to work in education in some capacity. Coaching might have been a good fit for me too, but I didn't want to do too much of the recruiting piece. Trying to get a 17 year-old kid to like me was just something I wasn't interested in. [However, something I realized is] recruiting is always something you're going to have to do. People and relationships are so important, whether it's a 17 year-old you're trying to recruit to your school or a donor who you want to support an initiative. Recruiting is always something you're going to have to do.
How has a failure or an apparent failure set you up for future success?
I played a backup role my first two years at Wofford. My junior year, I had a crazy spring ball and I was going to start junior year. I moved from defensive tackle to defensive end and I was so hyped about it, I went out and bought a pair of Deion Sanders cleats with my own money instead of the cleats the team provided. I went way over the top with it. The first game of the season I did awful. Everything was moving so fast. I got demoted after that first game to 2nd string and went back to defensive tackle. My parents had planned to come see me play that season. I was heartbroken. I was at a point of depression where I wasn't hanging out with anyone ever. I would just go to class, come back home, never turn the lights on. I thought about quitting, transferring, all of that stuff.
Next spring ball I had to decide if I was going to bust my ass or not. Going into senior year, I worked out the whole summer to get into shape to try and earn a starting spot again. I ended up having a great spring, started every game senior year and had a great year.
You need to keep your foot on the gas.
What I learned from that experience was even when you get to a certain spot, you can’t feel like you’ve arrived. You need to keep your foot on the gas. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. You need to be humble and continue to work hard. That life lesson has paid dividends in my life for the past 15 years.
ES: I think our generation struggles with always wanting more. Will we ever be truly happy with what's in front of us?
BB: That’s something I struggle with. I want more responsibilities, I want this title, I want to be involved with this. I think it’s good because it keeps you driven, but you can’t let it affect you negatively. When you get into a negative mindset, you’re not embracing the moment and embracing what you do have. I think there is a subtle balance between being grateful and humble for everything you have but always being driven to want more. Remind yourself of all of the good things you have going on, not just the bad things. For instance you look at having to pay a mortgage/rent, electric bills, etc. and you're upset you have to pay these things. But you can also look at it as you have a roof over your head, and money in the bank to pay the electric bill. There are so many people that aren’t fortunate enough to be in that position. We focus so much on the negatives. Enjoy the positives more.
What advice would you give a smart, college student looking to start a career in athletics?
Go out and start meeting people. Form relationships, ask questions, be curious. Also, your first job isn’t your forever job. Don’t be so hesitant to jump in with both feet just because you’re scared you change your mind later on down the line. Just get in, get involved. Don’t waste time being hesitant; figure out the rest as you go along.
Favorite Quote
Anything Nelson Mandela.
What book or books have you given most as a gift or have greatly influenced your life?
Winnabegos on Wednesday by Tulane President Scott Cowen.
Energy Bus by Jon Gordon - For leadership, I'd recommend anyone to read this book. The value of a positive mindset and how you react to things is more important than what actually happens to you. Jon Gordon is a great follow on twitter. He hits the nail on the head; the way he puts things into words and analogies.
Being thankful for what we have.
We need to be thankful for opportunities and we need to be thankful for what we have versus what we don't have. Nobody has it all. No matter all the riches, facilities, donors, recruits, etc., we all have problems.
What purchase of $100 or less in the past six months has been the most impactful for you?
TSA PreCheck Clear - If you fly more than three times a year you need to have that.
Also there are things that we cheap out on all the time that we use everyday, that we shouldn’t. For example, my wife bought me an electric toothbrush. Now, I'll never use a regular toothbrush ever again.
Something like nice underwear can improve your whole day. The right pair of socks can change your enjoyment of walking around all day. This type of stuff can change your life.
If you could have a billboard that billions of people could see on a daily basis, what would it say?
"Slow traffic, drive in the right hand lane." This drives me crazy. If you’re going slow on the highway, get to the right lane and stay out of the left lane.
Also, “Treat people the way you want to be treated.” People say it all the time, but few people embody that. Just be nice to each other, it’s not that hard, regardless of race, gender, etc. People act like it’s harder than it is. It can solve a lot of the world’s problems.
Sports brings people and communities together.
On Sunday's in South Carolina, I'd go to to black church and others would go to white church. But on Saturday's we'd be intermingled, hanging out all cheering on the Gamecocks. Also the racial dynamic of "I want to be like Mike" is a great example of this. You've got all these young kids who might not be black, and are saying they want to be like this bald, black man they're seeing on television. That changed a whole generations view of what it means to be black.
Treat people well.
Everything we do in athletics, it all comes down to business and relationships. If you can't treat people well, you’ll never rise in this industry.
Don’t be in a rush to skip the process.
Nipsey Hussle said something along the lines of "Don't be in such a rush to skip the process, because with the process comes a lot of lessons." When you’re young, right off the bat you want to be an athletic director, but you need to know what the hell you’re doing once you get there. If you don’t know what you're doing once you get there, you’re going to fail or learn a lot of rough lessons along the way. The process is critical to get the knowledge and lessons you need along the way. That is vital to be able to grow.
The job descriptions about needing a certain amount of work experience and everything you see on resumes I think is BS. I can work somewhere for 10 years, you can work somewhere for 10 years, but if I am curious my entire time there, picking everyone’s brain in the organization and I put in the work, I am going to learn a ton more than the person who just comes in to clock in at 8:30 and then clocks out at 5. Being extremely curious, asking the second or third question about why something is the way it is, is crucial.
One of the best/most worthwhile investments you ever made?
Time and energy towards networking. Networking is my biggest asset. I don’t mean I network to get my next job. Networking has the most value when you have a network of people that when you get hit with something that you have no experience doing, you can reach out to someone in your network and say “Hey, I know you did this, how did you do it? What roadblocks did you run into? What mistakes did you make that I can avoid, etc?” That is more valuable than any book you read or any google search you do.
Not a week goes by where I don’t reach out to someone in my network when an issue arises. One of the most important things you can do when rising through the ranks is hiring people. Hiring good people and letting them be great is the best thing we can do.
If I have 20 or 30 people I can lean on for an opening and I can call people I trust to see how they feel about a candidate [that’s huge]. Because anyone can be a great actor for an hour in an interview and tell you what you want to hear and lie on their resume. You interview for your next job every day you’re at your current job. I cannot stress people and relationships enough. If you have great people in place, the rest will take care of itself.
What tips do you have in terms of maintaining relationships in the sports industry?
When I first got in the sports industry I thought networking was all about a means of getting a job. That’s not the case at all. You need to be genuine in your relationships. You want to talk to someone because you want to not only learn from them, but also how can you add value to that person. You can't just go into it thinking "I want a job, I want advice, etc." Just be genuine.
What advice would you give to your 20 year-old self?
Enjoy the moment. I’ve always tried looking ahead no matter where I am at. Maybe on a Friday afternoon with not much going on, lean back in your chair and just think about how fortunate you are.
Also, be true to yourself. Be comfortable being you. It doesn’t matter what anyone says about your dreams, aspirations, etc. Be honest and genuine with yourself. We’re all going to leave this earth one day and it’s not going to matter.
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