Leadership development background, a sense of connection and his happy place at the grill prepared the former student-athlete for high-stakes decisions
Bryan Blair didn’t have the luxury of easing into the job. Twelve days after becoming Syracuse’s director of athletics this past March, he hired a men’s basketball coach.
It was an early illustration of the reality facing today’s athletics directors: Success isn’t measured by how long you’ve occupied the office, but by the ability to make sound, high-stakes decisions from the moment you’re hired.
In college athletics, there is no grace period.
That urgency did not catch Blair unprepared. Years of participating in NCAA leadership development programming had equipped him to evaluate people, trust his preparation, and make consequential decisions with clarity and confidence. Blair, who started as a postgraduate intern, has risen through the athletics ranks, guided by his involvement in Pathways, the Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute and the Effective Facilitator Workshop.
Today, Blair has come full circle, serving as a mentor and facilitator in many of those same NCAA leadership development opportunities that once helped shape him.
“As an athletics director, you get a lot of fire thrown at you,” Blair said. “So you rely on your core values to make sure you’re making the right decisions. Coming in here boils down to people and relationships. … I am grateful to the NCAA, and I wouldn’t be here without the leadership development staff. From the moment I stepped into the national office as a postgraduate intern, and now pouring back into leadership to sitting in this chair, none of that happens without support.”
Support has lifted him throughout his distinguished career. Blair was most recently the vice president and director of athletics at Toledo. He previously served as the deputy athletics director and chief operating officer at Washington State and worked in various roles at Rice, South Carolina and the NCAA. He also was a student-athlete at Wofford, where he was captain of the Division I football team and earned a bachelor’s in history. He went on to earn his law degree at South Carolina.
One of Blair’s most influential leadership lessons came while working alongside South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley.
“She’s elite at combining a demanding atmosphere and culture based on accountability and being rooted in relationships,” Blair said. “That approach gets more out of those around you. Starting from that standpoint, the way she built her team and demands out of them was impressive, and she’s one of the best to do it.”
Connection is at the heart of Blair’s leadership. He strives to make everyone feel welcome in his presence. Blair was recognized during his time at Toledo by being named to the prestigious Sports Business Journal 40 Under 40 list, affirming his standing as one of the most influential and prepared leaders in sports and entertainment.
His core values are family, passion, integrity, curiosity and servanthood. They guide his decision-making and his interactions with his team.
“I live by those values,” Blair said. “I encourage our staff to identify their own core values and live by them every day. I learned so much in leadership development and was around folks who knew their whys. The biggest value has been the relationships. Through NCAA leadership development, I connected with people who became mentors and leaders I could learn from.
“As I progressed through my career, I came full circle, going from being a participant to helping mentor others. Along the way, those connections became like a second family. Having that network has been incredibly encouraging as I’ve navigated the inevitable ebbs and flows of this industry.”
Also helping Blair navigate an industry defined by constant change while providing a sense of stability beyond his family is an unlikely refuge: the grill. He has earned a reputation for his award-winning barbecue, but for Blair, grilling is about far more than brisket and ribs.
Standing over glowing coals as smoke curls into the air carrying the succulent scent of hickory and slow-cooked meat, he finds something increasingly rare in college athletics: stillness. It’s where the noise fades, clarity returns and perspective replaces urgency.
It’s his happy place.
As college athletics continues to evolve through conference realignment, the NCAA Transfer Portal, ever-changing expectations, and changes to name, image and likeness rules, Blair keeps returning to the values that first shaped him. Those roots provide perspective amid the uncertainty. No matter how much the landscape changes, everything still comes back to one simple truth.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to keep people at the center of everything you do and stay grounded in the mission,” Blair said. “The NCAA invested so much in my growth throughout my leadership journey, and I carry those lessons with me every day. I can have a positive impact. You have to stay grounded and find time to think and process because everything will fly by if you’re not careful.”
