In early November, I made the four-hour drive from Indianapolis up to Toledo to watch the Rockets take on Northern Illinois in a midweek MACtion showdown. The whole point of the trip was simple: follow Toledo athletic director Bryan Blair around on a game day and keep learning more about what the AD job really looks like on the ground. Blair was named VP/AD at Toledo in February 2022 and had his contract extended in August 2025 that will keep him a Rocket through June 2030.

Starting the Afternoon — AI in Sports Panel

I got to campus around 2:30 in the afternoon to watch Bryan co-host a talk about artificial intelligence in sports. Sitting next to him was Ben Levicki, the AI solutions architect at the Cleveland Cavaliers. Toledo Athletics uses Microsoft Copilot across campus, and Bryan talked about how AI is becoming a bigger and bigger piece of athletic department operations. You can tell he’s leaning into this stuff early to see how Team Toledo can use it across the athletic department.

Rocket Walk to the Glass Bowl

After the panel, I met Bryan at the “Rocket Walk,” where the football team enters the stadium through the tailgate area. The band was playing, fans were lined up on both sides — a really cool way to kick off the night.

Next, we walked into the Glass Bowl. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a super unique stadium — stone exterior, massive press box, and honestly not a bad seat anywhere. Bryan checked in with staff along the way and chatted with fans starting to trickle in.

Tailgate Lots

Then Bryan took me to see Savage Arena, their basketball venue. On the walk, he pointed to the ROTC building right next to the stadium and mentioned plans to convert it into an athletics space for team use.

Before we even got inside Savage, he stopped at a tailgate he visits each home game. They were serving chili — much needed on a cold evening — and we hung out for a bit as they gave me a tour of the RV setup and gave me a history lesson in Toledo football. They also let me know that Toledo is known for production of the Jeep Wrangler. Being the tourist, I of course asked folks how they thought the city was portrayed in “The Paper,” the new Peacock spinoff of “The Office.” To my surprise, some of them hadn’t even seen it. We finished our bowl of chili and made our way to the basketball arena.

Inside Savage Arena — A Lot of Creativity

Savage Arena was impressive. Bryan showed me the new Venture Courtside Club — a storage space they flipped in just a few months into a really sharp fan area with TVs, food, drinks, and a view of players coming on and off the court. Creative solution to a space that had been used as storage.

Right off the lobby is their creative studio with a digital wall that rivals setups you’d expect at a pro team. They use it for athlete photo shoots and team press conferences. You could tell this was important to Bryan — making sure his creative team has the tools they need.

Back to the Glass Bowl

We made it back to the Glass Bowl about 90 minutes before kickoff. By then, the temperature had dropped and the wind had picked up. I decided to hang back a little and watch Bryan do his thing — meeting fans, checking in with staff, just being visible.

I also used the time to meet Northern Illinois AD Sean Frazier, who I had talked to recently for advice on Higher Ed Athletics. Later, I spent part of the third quarter in the visiting AD suite talking with him some more.

The crowd really started building as the “Community Night” aspect kicked in. They brought in mascots from around the Toledo area, which was a hit with the kids. I grabbed a quick video of them to send to my boys.

Bryan got pulled for a couple local media interviews, and then some notable visitors started arriving.

Ohio’s lieutenant governor, Jim Tressel — yes, that Jim Tressel — showed up, which was interesting to see. Bryan greeted him and I had the chance to meet him briefly too.

Toledo’s mayor came as well — and having been re-elected the night before, he still volunteered to sit (and dropped) in the dunk tank in freezing weather. That’s commitment to your constituents!

Meeting the University President

A really cool moment for me was meeting Toledo president Dr. James Holloway. Bryan introduced us, and Dr. Holloway talked with me for a few minutes about the role of a university president and his background. He asked me about my doctorate degree and my upcoming dissertation. I mentioned that he has a great AD in Bryan, and he completely agreed. Holloway started in July and had recently extended Bryan’s contract. Smart man.

Kickoff — And an Immediate Touchdown

The game couldn’t have started any better. After a great national anthem, Toledo took the opening kickoff to the house right in front of us. For a cold Wednesday night, the crowd was better than I expected and the fans were treated to early fireworks from that opening kick. Toledo went on to dominate the game with a score of 42-3 over the Huskies.

From the sideline, I tried to stay out of the way and just observe — watching how Bryan interacted with people, how he carried himself, and how he managed the environment.

Up to the Suites

Somewhere in the second quarter I lost track of Bryan until I saw him heading up the stadium steps toward the elevator. To try and make it feel like he wasn’t being constantly followed by me, I played it cool and stayed on the sideline for another 20 minutes before making my way up too. The press box there is impressive and large — I admittedly had not visited a lot of Group of Six stadiums so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this one rivaled a lot of power schools. And the idea of a heated suite with a great view of the stadium under the lights made me walk a bit quicker up the stairs.

Watching Bryan work the suites was eye-opening. He seemed to know everyone — donors, business owners, community members — and not just by name. He always had a story or something personal to say. He introduced me to a small business owner, and you could just tell how connected he is in Toledo — and it was obvious how connected those people feel to Bryan.

3 Final Takeaways

The score was lopsided and I think they were almost out of fireworks as I left the stadium late in the 4th quarter to drive back home. By the end of the night, a few things stood out to me:

1. Bryan’s staff really respects him

You could feel the energy around him. His team likes working for him because he’s willing to try new ideas and push the department forward. This was obvious in my observations and in the individual conversations I had with several members of his administration team.

2. He genuinely cares about the Toledo community

It wasn’t for show. From tailgates to donors to elected leaders, he treats everyone with respect and invests in those relationships. He knows their names, their stories, and understands their individual bond and allegiance to Team Toledo.

3. Toledo has real potential to keep building

Between the facilities, the campus size, the NIL/House strategy (Football didn’t lose any transfers this past year), the support from the city, and Bryan’s leadership, I think Toledo is poised for even more growth and success. The American and Sun Belt schools get a lot of attention these days, but Toledo is a program people (and P4 conferences) should keep watching. We didn’t talk about power school aspirations — the way I see it is Bryan cares more about building the best athletic department for Toledo and he isn’t going to put limits on what that looks like.

Thank you Bryan Blair

Huge thank you to Bryan Blair for letting me tag along and observe a full game day. I’m hoping to do more of these visits soon and follow other athletic directors as I continue studying the position. If I should come visit your AD next, contact me.