OKCPS Honors The Man Known As Santa Blair

Santa Blair impacted the lives of the young and old all over the country, but for the students that walk through the halls at Douglas high school, he was simply coach Blair.

“He always made sure his athletes had shoes. He always made sure he showed tough love to his class,” said Blair’s daughter Ryan Blair-Smith.

Coach Blair tried to show tough love, but he just couldn't hide his big heart.

“He loved them, his passion for them was probably bigger than him as a person,” said Blair-Smith.

When he donned the Santa Blair suit, it was essentially a reflection of his true self.

“It was this group of African American boys, it was probably seventeen of them. They were from a boy’s home, and when they saw him, they said black Santa, black Santa,” said Blair-Smith.

Whether he appeared at the News 9 studio, on national TV, or on the streets of New York, people were naturally drawn to Santa Blair.

“He’s standing on top of this waterfall behind him, and there’s people all around him, they’re dancing, they’re clapping, they’re singing; they want to take pictures with him,” said Blair-Smith.

“This year would have been the year that he was going to go fully international,” said Pastor Derrick Scobey, o-chair OKCPS Wall of Fame.

Blair's passing in March was a devastating blow for everyone. Pastor Derrick Scobey, co-chair of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Wall of Fame, spearheaded the effort to honor the Classen High School alum with a spot on the OKCPS Wall of Fame.

“I was the first person that voted for him, and then there really wasn’t a lot of traction, I would say that,” said Scobey.

However, after Pastor Scobey talked about the man behind the Santa suit, the vote easily became unanimous.

“To know that the foundation is honoring him, our community is just ecstatic,” said Scobey.

Blair-Smith was overcome with emotion as she prepared to accept the honor on behalf of her father

“The life he lived was full of impact, and for him to be on the wall of fame would mean a lot to him,” said Blair-Smith.