BLAIR CHERRY - INDUCTEE #2
hall of fame fast fact:
Blair Cherry, who compiled an 84-5-1 record and three state titles at Amarillo High in the 1930s, began his coaching career at Ranger in 1924 after playing football and baseball at TCU. He left Ranger for Fort Worth North side, then landed in Amarillo.
Blair Cherry
Blair Cherry might have been unknown, but he didn’t stay that way long.
Over his seven coaching seasons in the 1930s, Cherry created the Amarillo High football dynasty, winning three state championships and establishing the Sandies as the dominant football program.
He eventually became head coach at the University of Texas, winning a Southwest Conference championship with the Longhorns. Cherry was the first coach to win a Texas state football championship and an SWC title.
From 1930 to 1936, his Amarillo High powerhouses produced a record of 84-5-1, winning state championships in 1934, 1935, and 1936. Cherry was an assistant with UT for nine seasons and was promoted to head coach in 1947. His Longhorn teams had victories in the 1948 Sugar Bowl, the 1949 Orange Bowl, and won the SWC title in 1950.
He left Texas, gave up coaching, and entered into a successful career in the oil and gas business.
Cherry died in 1966; he often said his fondest memories were at Amarillo High.
