Former Island Coast football coach Wayne Blair playoff bound as Detroit Lions assistant

From the Island Coast football huddle to now roaming the NFL sidelines with the Detroit Lions, Wayne Blair is living the dream.

“I always had it on the the back burner of my mind,” Blair said. “Whether or not I could’ve made it a reality that was a whole other thing. But as my wife says, I am relatable.”

Blair brought the fun to Island Coast football back in 2014. As head coach, Blair helped the Gators win 10 games and a district title. He said the biggest takeaway he learned from his one season with the Gators was patience.

“I feel like while I was at Island Coast I per se was trying to get them up to speed,” Blair explained. “East coast ball west coast ball. So I brought East coast ball to the west coast and it flourished.”

To be closer to family, Blair returned to South Florida to coach at University School in Davie. That’s where he coached Cody Campbell, the son of now Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. The two formed a bond and Dan Campbell made a promise to Blair.

“He was like look if I ever got the opportunity you know what I’m saying, where I can you know make a decision or call a shot, I’m going to give you a shot,” Blair recalled.

First, Campbell called Blair to complete his Bill Walsh Diversity Training Coaching Fellowship program with the Lions during the 2021 training camp. Then, a year later, Blair joined the staff officially, where he brings a unique approach given his high school roots.

“I caught them at the grassroots level of it,” Blair explained. “And there’s so much relatability to be able to I guess you can say turn around and make bad habits become good habits.”

Blair is in his second season as the defensive quality control coach with the Detroit Lions.

“Professional athletes are really no different than high school athletes,” Blair said. “I mean they still need to be nurtured. They still need to be shown the right way on how to be a professional. So it’s it’s night and day sort of but it’s damn near the same.”

The Lions won their first division title in 30 years and host their first playoff game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.