COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The public is invited to attend a reception Monday afternoon (Dec. 10) in recognition of Tennessee Tech volleyball coach John Blair, who is retiring from his position after 10 seasons at the Golden Eagle helm.

The free event begins at 3 p.m. in the Eagles Nest in Eblen Center.

Blair’s retirement comes following his 10th season at the school and 29^th year overall as a collegiate head coach, and wraps up a career that included Ohio Valley Conference regular season and conference championships, numerous accolades and awards for his players both on the court and in the classroom, and 381 career victories.

Blair has constantly worked to develop his student-athletes, both as players and in their personal lives.

“The beauty of the job is to see them come in as freshmen and leave as young adults,” Blair said. “I thank all the players through the years for their hard work and dedication to make the program what it is. It’s an honor to have coached them, and it’s now an even greater honor to consider them my friends."

The third-winningest coach in program history, Blair’s players have amassed numerous awards including 12 all-OVC awards, five OVC all-tournament awards, seven all-OVC Newcomer awards, as well as an OVC Player of the Year, two Defensive Players of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards.

Blair’s players have also excelled in the classroom as they have earned one Academic All-American and four Academic All-District awards as well as 71 OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll awards during his time at TTU.

Call (931) 372-3940 for additional information.