Fair finishing strong with 800 state mark
A day after attending his prom, Brian Fair Jr., begged coach Dwayne Evans the next morning to let him run the 800 meters in the Last Chance Track Meet.
The Phoenix South Mountain senior was able to talk Evans into it.
Fair, in only the third 800 race he ever ran, crossed the finish at Gilbert Perry High School in 1 minute, 50.12 seconds, setting the state record.
“He begged Coach Evans to let him run that day so he didn’t get out of rhythm so he told him he could run the 800,” said Brian Fair Sr., Brian’s father and the South Mountain principal. “He felt good that morning and said he was going for the 800 record.”
Fair and Evans are synonymous to South Mountain loyalty and athletic greatness.
In 1976, Evans went from high school graduation to the U.S. Olympic Trials. He qualified for Montreal in the 200 meters, and finished third as a skinny 17year-old. An Olympic bronze medal and an Arizona high school state record all in the same summer.
That state record still holds today. Now Evans is coaching the most recent South Mountain state record holder, a mark that nobody until a month ago had a shot at getting. “We had him in our district meet and we ran him in the 4x800, and he ran a 1:53, and he was running really easy,” Evans said.
At that same district meet, Fair ran the open 800 and finished at 1:57 after his shoe came off and he ran practically the entire race with only one shoe on and developing a blister on his toe on the other foot.
Evans was the track coach at South Mountain when Brian Fair Sr., was lighting up scoreboards in basketball with his soft shooting touch. Considered one of the greatest athletes ever to come through South Mountain, Fair Sr., also was a talented quarterback and safety on the football team.
He was the state Player of the Year in 1991 when he led South to the state basketball title and undefeated season. He went on to have a standout college basketball career at Connecticut.
After basketball ended, Fair returned to his South Mountain roots and now leads the school after being athletic director.
He couldn’t be prouder to pass the family baton to his son Brian Jr., who played football his first three years before focusing on track and field his senior year. He is a 4.0 student (4.6 grade-point average weighted) in a tough, high academic magnet school.
Fair had two 800 races before the record. And the previous race he ran it in 1:57. He had already qualified for this week’s state track and field championships before setting the record.
Next stop, Mesa Community College on Saturday. He’ll be running both the 400 and 800. The 800 is early, starting about 1:45 p.m., which means he’ll be fresh to run it.
“I plan to break my own record again in the 800 this coming weekend,” Fair said.
Yuma Cibola runner Bernie Montoya set the record in 2013 with a time of 1:50.19.
After breaking Montoya’s record, Fair began hearing from colleges. “Ever since I ran that time, there’s been a lot of conversations,” Fair said. “I’m happy to say I have my options open.”