Columbus Crew assistant coach Blair Gavin will depart at end of season for USL's FC Tulsa
After two seasons with the Crew, assistant coach Blair Gavin has been hired as the next head coach of FC Tulsa in the USL Championship, the club announced Monday.
Gavin began his MLS coaching career as a video analyst in 2021 and was promoted to assistant coach for the 2022 season. He previously was an assistant coach with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC from 2018 to 2020. Gavin will remain in his role with Columbus through the remainder of this season.
"I would like to personally thank Blair for all the work he put into our club over the past two seasons and want to congratulate him for this opportunity. I am confident he will make an excellent head coach in his new role," coach Caleb Porter said in a statement. "Through the end of this year, Blair will continue to be a valuable member of our staff and integral to our video analysis, training and match preparation. I have known Blair for a long time, and it’s been rewarding watching him grow from an MLS player to coach, so naturally I am excited for what’s ahead in this next step of his career. I also look forward to his continued contributions as we close out the regular season and push for our postseason goals."
Porter and Gavin's relationship stretches back to the mid-2000s, when Gavin played for Porter at the University of Akron. Porter coached the Zips from 2006 to 2012 and Gavin played for him for three seasons, 2007-09. Gavin was selected with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by Chivas USA, which folded in 2014. He made 43 appearances for Chivas USA from 2010-12 and played another two MLS games for the New England Revolution in 2012 before continuing his professional career at the second-tier level.
Gavin retired as a player in 2017 after two seasons with Phoenix Rising, where he immediately became an assistant coach. Now, his coaching career takes him back to the USL for his first job as head coach.
"We want to thank Blair for his contributions to the Club over the last two years and are pleased to see his growth as a coach in this new head opportunity for him," general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement. "We wish Blair, his wife Jane, and his entire family all the best in the exciting next chapter of his young coaching career."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew's Blair Gavin to become coach of USL's FC Tulsa
