Life of Kenneth Blair, known to many as 'Santa Blair,' celebrated by hundreds at services

More than 600 people gathered Saturday at Life.Church off NW 178 in Edmond to celebrate the life of Kenny Blair, nationally known as "Santa Blair," who died unexpectedly March 16 at the age of 65.

Numerous anecdotes about Kenneth Wayne Blair Sr., also known affectionately as "Coach Blair," painted the portrait of a charismatic community leader with an immensely affable personality. Friends and family remembered Blair for his athletic talent, his impeccable fashion sense, his spot-on comedic impressions and his inspiring leadership abilities.

"When I think about Coach Blair, I think about the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat," said Kevin Jones, principal of Douglass High School in Oklahoma City. "And in this world, you have two types of Black males: You have regular Black males, and then you have strong Black males. So you can tell the regular Black male because he's going to be more like a thermometer because he can only tell you the temperature of the room. And then you have strong Black males who are more like a thermostat: When they step in the room, they set the temperature of the room, and it's safe to say that Coach Blair was a part of this strong Black male fraternity."

OKC's 'Santa Blair' dies at 65: 'The world was a better place for having him in it'

Blair earned many accolades during an illustrious career. After graduating from Oklahoma City's Classen High School in 1976, he received an athletic football scholarship to the University of Missouri, where he excelled as a football player and an academic student. Blair then signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1980 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1984. Following an eight-year NFL career, he also played with the Orlando Renegades and the Oklahoma Outlaws in the United States Football League.

Blair later served as a wide receiver coach and assistant track coach at Langston University. Afterward he was hired as the housing director of the University of Oklahoma's Bud Wilkerson House, working closely with the NCAA. Blair later accepted a position with the Walt Disney Co. in Orlando, Florida, where he helped develop a sports and fitness complex called the Disney Institute. There, he served as a personal trainer to Shaquille O'Neal, Tiger Woods, the 1996 Dream Team, and various other celebrities and professional athletes.

Blair also served as a coach and teacher for Oklahoma City Public Schools for many years, where he continued to develop and mentor young people. Several in attendance Saturday frequently cited his favorite motto: "Choices, decisions, and consequences."

Lucretia McKinney, a former student athlete at Northwest Classen High School, shed tears as she recounted a dream she had of Blair briefly visiting her and hugging her shortly after his death.

"I went through high school by myself without my parents, (but) Coach Blair was my parent," McKinney said. "He was a phenomenal man. ... He had beautiful style. Even all the way through high school, he was such a great person to all of us. Family is never just blood, and this man is definitely considered family to me."

More: Collected wisdom from OKCPS football coach Kenny Blair

Several other close friends — including Missouri NFL alumnus Howard Richards, Hall of Fame coach Tommy Griffin and local church leader Clifford Morgan Sr. — also highlighted Blair's impressive tenor voice and his comedic stand-up-quality impressions of Muhammad Ali.

"(Blair's) personality traits and characteristics all brought joy and positivity to every practice, game and gathering, leaving an indelible mark for everyone that he encountered," Richards said. "As a teammate, he exemplified dedication, sportsmanship, toughness and teamwork. At football, Kenny inspired me with his passion for the sport and his unwavering commitment to mentoring and coaching young women and young men to do their best and to be their best."

"He was just that type of person that you would just cling to," said Morgan, pastor at Church of the Living God Temple 221 in Oklahoma City. "He was that good with people, and he always wanted to make people laugh and always wanted to make people smile, and he accomplished those goals. He was my buddy, he was my brother, and I'll always remember him."

Blair's renown was wide, with the offices of public figures such as Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee declaring resolutions in his honor. But it was his alter ego "Santa Blair," which he embraced in the final years of his life, that saw him reach global levels of recognition. Saturday's service included a video presentation with tributes to Blair from several members of the Worldwide Santa Claus Network, sometimes referred to as "the Stanford of Santa schools."

As "Santa Blair," his charming persona and tailored fashion delighted crowds across the United States, landed him guest appearances on ABC's "The View," and netted him fans in Africa, Greenland, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Ryan Smith, Blair's daughter, remembered the production process of the popular 2020 TikTok video featuring him and created by his granddaughter, who also carries the first name Blair.

"He was just like her, and she was just like him, because she was very meticulous and making sure that she was on point with the transitions," Smith said. "The TikTok went viral, and I think at some point it hit 3 million (views). And we were so excited, we couldn't even believe it."

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In his eulogizing remarks, the Rev. Derrick Scobey, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, praised Blair as a unifying figure who brought people together through his leadership and optimism. He also emphasized that Blair, as a Black Santa Claus, brought hope to Black children of Oklahoma City and throughout the country, addressing a lack of representation that had persisted since Blair's own childhood.

The pastor recounted a story by the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, who often spoke of a balloon salesman on the streets of New York City who'd sometimes release a balloon in order to draw more customers. He'd alternate the balloon colors, from white to red and then yellow. But a Black boy once asked the salesman, "If you released a black balloon, would it go up?"

"And the salesman said, 'Son, it's what inside of a balloon that makes it go up,'" Scobey said. "Santa Blair, Kenny Blair, Coach Blair was our Black Santa Claus — a black balloon that symbolized to millions of people around the world that a Black man can go up, a black balloon can rise. And Santa Blair also taught us that it was not really the suit, but it was the man inside the suit."

Golden balloons were released by attendees outside the church in Blair's memory. Smith told The Oklahoman her father had wanted to be cremated, and the family will travel to Florida's Walt Disney World, "his favorite place," to sprinkle his ashes.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kenneth Blair remembered for his support for many in Black community