Cuesta Men's Basketball Head Coach Rusty Blair has climbed to the top of the mountain, or grade, as Cuesta College Athletics' All Time Win Leader. Over the Winter Break, Blair led his surging Cougars to a 4-1 record, going into today's game in Santa Maria. The Cougars' victory over Long Beach, 65-57, on December 12 officially gave him the record and pushed him past Cuesta's previous record of 556 wins set by Hall of Fame Men's Water Polo Coach Terry Bowen. Blair joined the Cougars' staff in 1993 and, along with 11 conference titles and 19 playoff berths, he has led the Cougars to 569 victories. Blair's win total is complemented by his .571 career winning percentage, which ranks 11th all time across all sports at Cuesta. When Coach Blair, a SLO native, took over Cuesta Men's Basketball the program it was coming off a seven-win season and had celebrated only 29 victories over the previous five campaigns. He endured a tough first year, but quickly turned the program around. After a seven-win rookie season on the bench, Blair ran off a streak of seven straight playoff berths, which included four conference titles and the program's only trip to the CCCAA State Finals.
On and off the hardwood, Blair's program has been a stepping off point for dozens of future NCAA players. His program has always been highly regarded for the way his players also perform as student-athletes in the classroom. Cuesta's Cagers have been recognized as the CCCAA State Scholar Team of the Year four times since 2006 and have been finalist a dozen times over that span. Former Cuesta Athletes Bryan Parker (1999) and Malte Kramer (2012) were both honored as the CCCAA's Top Male Scholar-Athletes in the State, while last year's nominee, Drew Ardouin, remains in the running for the award this spring.
Cuesta Athletics All Time Coaching Victories (Top 20)
1. Rusty Blair (1993-Present), Men's Basketball, 569
2. Terry Bowen (1979-2003), Men's Water Polo, 556
3. Bob Miller (2003-Present), Baseball, 517
4. Larry Lee (1987-2002), Baseball, 460
5. Ed Musolff (1981-2010), Women's Basketball, 427
6. John Marsh (2004-2022), Men's Water Polo, 425
7. Pete Schuler (1999-2020), Women's Water Polo, 405
8. Allison Grant (1995-2006, 16), Softball, 335
9. Don Hansen (1966-1991), Men's Basketball, 328
10. Mike Lee (1980-1994), Softball, 313
11. Roche Nystrom (1993-2016), Women's Volleyball, 303
12. Mike Napoli (1988-2009), Women's Tennis, 270
13. Bob Wilson (1995-2021), Women's Soccer, 243
14. Hugh Gerhardt (1984-1992), Women's Volleyball, 190
15. Bob Hobbs (1971-79), Baseball, 151
16. Terry Bowen (1979-2003), Women's Swimming, 149
17. Dave Diaz (1978-1993), Men's Tennis, 144
18. Terry Bowen (1979-2003), Men's Swimming, 143
19. Ron Barba (2011-2021), Women's Basketball, 132
20. Gary Meissner (1972-2000), Wrestling, 130
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