JOHN BLAINE - INDUCTEE #25
hall of fame fast fact:
In 1950, John Blaine had to make a decision. He was coaching both the boys and girls basketball teams and they were scheduled to play the same weekend - the boys at the Lubbock regional and the girls in the state tournament in Austin. Blaine couldn't be in both places, so he sent his wife, Juanita, to coach the boys. Her Bobcats almost pulled an upset over the eventual state champion, Gruver, losing by two points.
John Blaine
John Blaine, a Claude native who wrestled and played football at West Texas State, began his career in Dimmit in 1940.
Blaine coached it all: football, track, and both boys and girls basketball. From 1948-52, his teams won 316 and lost 26. His girls teams won three straight state championships.
Blaine also coached football; the 1951 Bobcats were 11-1, losing in the regionals and summing his three teams at 83-1. In 1952, John Blaine coached both the Dimmitt High School boys and girls basketball teams to state championships. Each team went 36-0.
In 1952, Blaine was named Texas Coach of the Year. Blaine moved to Sundown and his 1954 Sundown boys were state runners-up. His overall career record in basketball was 559-64 for an 89.7 winning percentage.
He later moved on to Plainview High School as a math teacher and athletic director. In 1971, he was selected to the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor.
John Blaine died in 1974.
