Now in his fifth year as a Field Champion, Coach Blair reflects on how it all began — and why he’s still showing up every season. “I was actually recruited into this position,” he said. “Several coaches and staff members from Inglewood told Coach Across America about my services as a youth sports coach over the years and recommended me for the position. Next thing I knew, I was being interviewed and eventually hired on.”

From the beginning, his focus has been on helping young athletes build confidence and character through sports. “My favorite part of coaching kids was getting them to the point where they believed in themselves and understood their potential,” he said. “I particularly enjoyed working with the younger kids, ages 5–8, because their time in sports set the foundation for the rest of their sports careers.” At that age, he emphasized that sports were about much more than competition. “It was less about winning and losing and more about understanding sportsmanship, building character, gaining respect for the game, and realizing the importance of practice.”

One of the most meaningful parts of his role as a Field Champion was bringing 200 youth athletes to Dodger Stadium, an experience made possible through the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF).

For many of the kids, it was their first time attending a Major League Baseball game.

“This experience was probably the single most exciting aspect of my time as a Field Champion,” Coach Blair said. The LADF-sponsored trip included charter buses for transportation, Dodgers T-shirts for the kids, game tickets that also served as food vouchers, and opportunities throughout the night for the group to be featured on the Dodger jumbotron. “Now imagine this experience as an 8-year-old kid, or a 12-year-old baseball player that had never been to an MLB game,” he said. “It truly was hard to describe in words.” Inside the stadium, the moment became unforgettable — 200 kids reacting together as they experienced a live MLB game for the first time. “The moment 200 kids stood up to cheer as a Dodgers player hit a home run or participated in a stadium-wide wave… seeing the joy on their faces, and hearing them laugh, talk, and sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ during the 7th inning stretch — many of them didn’t even know that was a tradition because they had never been to a game before.”

For Coach Blair, what stood out most was the impact on both the kids and their families. “At the end of the experience, they felt like VIPs because they knew that experience came directly from the Dodgers through LADF, not because their parents had to buy tickets,” he said. He also recognized the financial reality many families faced. “Many parents couldn’t afford multiple tickets, parking, and food. So they were very appreciative, and hearing the kids speak so excitedly and positively on the ride home was just awesome.”

Even with personal recognition in his coaching career — including being named Dodgers Dreamteam Coach of the Year and being honored on the field at Dodger Stadium — Coach Blair said none of it compared to the experience of bringing kids to the ballpark.

“That experience still paled in comparison to bringing 200 kids to a game.” He explained why opportunities like this mattered so deeply. “These experiences were important because they didn’t happen often,” he said. “Even among Dodgers fans, less than 1% could say they had an experience where they were fully sponsored and treated to a game by the Dodgers through LADF.”

For many of the participants, the trip aligned directly with their development in the Dodgers Dreamteam program. They were either in the middle of or had just completed a season focused on learning the fundamentals of baseball. “They were right in the middle or had just finished a season where the different aspects of the game were taught, practiced, and implemented in games,” he said. “Now they were able to see what they had learned displayed by professionals in an MLB game.” Often, those real-game moments were later used as teaching tools during practices and team discussions. “Plenty of times I used situations from those games to reinforce lessons we focused on during the season.”

When asked what motivated him year after year, his answer stayed simple.

“If I wasn’t a coach, what type of experience would I want my son to have if he were on a team? Now go make that happen for every other kid!” He also reflected on the support from the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, which extended beyond just the game-day experience. “It was incredible,” he said. “Many representatives recognized my work and supported me in several ways — from helping me get set up to chaperone these trips, to speaking positively about my own son, and even giving him free bobbleheads when we were at the stadium.”

He also served alongside LADF during community response efforts.

“During the fires we experienced not too long ago, they allowed me to serve with them. I went to different sites and helped support hundreds of families receiving assistance. I spent hours checking people in, but I was grateful to be there.”

Beyond events, he credited LADF’s training and leadership for strengthening him as a coach. “I definitely learned a lot and became stronger as a coach from what I learned through the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.” He also highlighted LADF CEO Nicole Whiteman and her connection to the Inglewood community, which made the work feel even more personal. “Knowing that many of the kids I served were from Inglewood made it even more meaningful, because it felt like I was giving back to my own community.” At the heart of it all, his goal remained focused on long-term impact. “I hoped they remembered to believe in themselves, work hard, understand good character, and value the importance of practice in whatever they chose to pursue.”

More importantly, he hoped the experience shaped how they viewed sports — and how they would one day guide the next generation. “I hoped when they got older and had kids, they remembered the importance of ensuring their kids were having fun and learning over winning versus losing. It truly wasn’t about sports — it was about becoming a good person and being the best they could be.”

For Coach Blair, that foundation was always the real win. “Again, why I loved working with little kids — it served as the foundation for the rest of their lives.”