Cuesta College Man Basketball Coach Rusty Blair Is Survived By His Wife, Katelijn Verbeke, And Two Children

The Memphis Sounds drafted Rusty in the 5th round of the American Basketball Association Draft of 1972.

May 21, 2026

This article was last updated by Manoj Gadtaula on May 23, 2026

Veteran Cuesta College men’s basketball coach Rusty shared two kids with his wife, Kaatje.

Rusty Blair, former long-time coach of Cuesta College men’s basketball, passed away on Saturday, May 17, 2026. The cause of death has not been revealed yet.

Cuesta College took to their official handle and mourned the tragic loss of Rusty. They wrote,

Chapman University graduate Bob Cantu also took to his Facebook handle and mourned the loss of Rusty. He wrote,

Blair retired in February 2026 after 33 years as Cuesta’s men’s basketball coach. He led the Cougars to several regional playoffs, and this year, Cuesta qualified for the 3C2A Southern Cal Regional.

He was the all-time wins leader for any sport at Cuesta.

Blair earned the CIF 2A Player of the Year Award as a San Luis Obispo High School senior in 1968.

He scored 19 points in February 1970 to help lead Oregon to a 78-65 upset of then-No. 1 UCLA.

The Memphis Sounds drafted Rusty in the 5th round of the American Basketball Association Draft of 1972.

Instead, the 6-foot-8 Blair player 11 seasons in Europe, 10 in FIBA, and one in the World Basketball League.

He averaged 27.2 points and 10.4 rebounds, mostly playing for the then-Coveco and Kaypro club, now Basketball Stars Weert.

Cuesta College Coach Rusty Blair Leaves Behind His Wife, Katelijn Verbeke

Coach Rusty Blair Katelijn Verbeke in 1981 after several years of dating.

As per Katelijn’s handle, she is from Brugge, Belgium, and lives in San Luis Obispo, California.

She graduated from St Jan’s Brugge in 1978 and worked at Cuesta College.

Katelijn grew up with three sisters: Lot Fonteyne, Siska and Hilde Verbeke, and two brothers: El Desondanks, and Freek Fonteyne.

She always supported Rusty in balancing his personal and professional life.

Sadly, their married life ended after over 44 years following the tragic death of Rusty.

Close friends and relatives have offered their heartfelt condolences and sent prayers for Kaatje to stay strong in this heartbreaking moment.

Coach Rusty Blair And His Wife, Katelijn, Had One Daughter And One Son

Rusty Blair and Kaatje share a daughter, Kelly, and a son, Casey Blair.

Casey lives in San Luis Obispo, California, with his wife, Lies, and two children, June and Kian Blair.

Recently, on May 17, 2026, Casey took to his handle to announce the death of his father, Rusty. He wrote,

Casey completed his bachelor’s degree from Columbia College, a Master’s in Kinesiology from the University of Central Missouri, and a teaching credential from Alliant International University.

He also played basketball, at Cuesta, and was a two-time all-conference Point Guard for the Cougars in 2007 and 2008.

After Cuesta, he played professionally in Belgium for one season before starting his coaching career. He is the third Cuesta Women’s Basketball Coach.

On the other hand, Rusty’s daughter, Kelly, lives in Brugge, Belgium, with her husband, Xavier Mylleville. She studied at HBOV – St. Michiels and works at WZC De Vlideberg.

She also took to her official Facebook handle and the tragic death of her supportive and devoted father, Rusty. She wrote,

Kelly followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the CSU Bakersfield women’s basketball team as a freshman for the 2006-07 season.

A standout at she led her team to a 20-5 record and a second-round appearance in the CIF Southern Section Playoffs as a senior.

She was named County Player of the Year in her junior and senior years and set school records for career points (1,556), rebounds (987), and three-pointers made (236).

In addition, Kelly was the 2006 county all-star game MVP and earned second-team all-county honors as a freshman and sophomore.

In Case You Didn’t Know

• Rusty Blair attended San Luis Obispo High School, where he earned the California Interscholastic Federation’s Southern Section Division 2A Player of the Year award as a senior in 1967-68.
• Blair received recruiting offers from numerous NCAA Division I colleges, ultimately electing to play for Oregon.
• Casey Blair has spent 13 seasons as the men’s assistant coach and has helped lead the Cuesta men to six conference titles and nine playoff berths.

• Check other Articles on

Rohit Maharjan is a skilled content writer and editor, known for his expertise in crafting engaging and informative written pieces. Beyond his professional work, Rohit is also a passionate musician, dedicating his free time to playing the guitar and creating melodious tunes.

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