Gary Gait recounts meeting new AD Bryan Blair at weekly media availability
Syracuse men’s lacrosse coach Gary Gait said he had breakfast with new Director of Athletics Bryan Blair. Gait discussed his interactions with Blair on Friday. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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Amidst the most important stretch of Syracuse’s season, Gary Gait made time for a special guest Friday: SU’s new director of athletics Bryan Blair. Gait revealed the two met during Blair’s introductory press conference Thursday, and had breakfast Friday morning.
“(Blair) seems like a great guy, and he’s learning about lacrosse,” Gait said during his weekly media availability Friday. “Our guys got to stop and say hello, and he got to see lacrosse for the first time.”
Lacrosse is foreign to Blair, who will officially take over for John Wildhack on July 1. Blair was previously the athletic director at Toledo, which didn’t have a men’s or women’s lacrosse program.
Neither did any of the other schools he’s worked at, the 41-year-old revealed Thursday. But Syracuse has a rich lacrosse history, and it’s impossible to disregard it. Blair seemingly understands that.
“It’s a good thing, because you don’t want a boss that knows too much about what you do,” Blair joked Thursday when talking about meeting Gait. “I know enough could be dangerous about leadership and pulling a team together, right. So you want that.”
Gait was asked about whether he got to explain the nuances of lacrosse to Blair during their meal, which he revealed he didn’t. Gait did bring his new boss to practice in the JMA Wireless Dome. Blair may not have understood what was happening on the field, but during his tour of the Dome, Gait said Blair pointed to all the lacrosse banners hanging in the rafters.
“He recognizes that it’s an important part of the JMA Wireless Dome and its history, and it’s important to Syracuse,” Gait said.
Current SU director of athletics John Wildhack was hired in 2016. John Desko helmed Syracuse’s men’s lacrosse program back then, and the Orange had made just one Final Four since 2009. That streak continued until Desko’s departure in 2021.
Wildhack replaced him by hiring Gait, who had been coaching Syracuse’s women’s team since 2007. Gait’s first two seasons were underwhelming — combining for just 12 wins — which resulted in SU missing back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the 1970s.
Recently, Gait has turned Syracuse’s fortunes around. The Orange made the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals in 2024 and secured their first Final Four berth since 2013 last year.
SU is in the middle of its most consequential season in years. The Orange have a good shot at winning it all, which will be decided in the coming months.
Blair doesn’t officially take over until a week after the national championship game. But still, if Syracuse does win it all, it would certainly be a nice boost for Blair as he heads into a critical juncture of SU Athletics.
