VC players remember Ossie Blaize, who passed away on Monday

Ossie Blaize, who retired from the education system three years ago, passed away Monday morning at a local hospital. He was 76 years old.
Funeral arrangements are tentatively scheduled for next week.
He began teaching and coaching in 1970. Blaize spent his final 23 years in education in Vermilion Parish. He arrived at Vermilion Catholic in 1991 after teaching/coaching in New Orleans.
Blaize coached nearly half of his career in Abbeville — 16 years at Vermilion Catholic, from 1991-2001, and then from 2015-22, as well as from 2008-15 at Abbeville High.  He was a resident of Abbeville.
“At Vermilion Catholic, we had some pretty good football teams,” said Blaize when he retired in 2022. “When we lost to Evangel in the semifinals in ‘93, that was a heck of a game. Sometimes, whether you win or lose a game, you still remember it. I had the good fortune to coach a lot of good players, a lot of good kids.”
The news about his death spread quickly Monday in the VC community.
“Hearing of Coach Ossie’s passing is a tough one. It’s news you never want to hear. Immediately, I thought about what a great loss it is for the VC community,” said Zan Beckett, who played football and ran track for Coach Blaize. 
“As the news spread amongst some friends, we began to remember Coach’s impact on us. The somber calls turned into something more. Our conversations became more of a celebration of a man who challenged us to be better on the field and in the classroom. We had great stories of his famous one-liners, at which you couldn’t help but laugh. Some were way funnier than others, mostly because it was not at our expense.
A 1998 graduate,  Beckett added, “I can’t help but remember what a tremendous impact Coach had on so many of us. He was a great coach and an even better man. We were very fortunate to have Coach Ossie as a part of the VC community. His impact will never be forgotten.”
John Thompson, a 1998 VC graduate, was coached by Blaize and an assistant coach at VC with Blaize.
“Coach Blaize was a major instrumental figure in my life and my career choice,” said Thompson. “He was the one that convinced me to play football in high school and was one reason I became a coach. He was the type of coach you never wanted to let down. He is going to be missed dearly by myself and my family.”
Freddy D. Dubois, who lives in Las Vegas, was VC’s starting quarterback and graduated in 1995. Blaize was Freddie’s history teacher during his senior year. 
“Coach was very well educated and knew a lot about everything, but you could tell he loved football,” said Freddie. “Coach taught me to work hard and prepare for every play and game. He was always pushing me to be my best; for example, he encouraged and told me to run track as it would improve my football ability and speed, and he was right.  
“I always loved talking football with Coach and watching film as he knew every detail and taught me what to look for at the line of scrimmage so I could call the best play in the moment. 
“He was funny, quick-witted, and always had a comeback.  I miss Coach and hearing his funny accent/slang/tone of voice, but I will always remember him as my coach, mentor, teacher, and friend. Rest in Peace, Coach Blaize,” Dubois concluded.
Linden Bercegeay coached with Blaize at Abbeville High.
Bercegeay said, “I coached against Ossie for many years and always respected his competitiveness in football and track. It wasn’t until I had an opportunity to work with him at AHS that I got to really know him. He was a very unique and interesting character, one who was sincere in helping students and athletes, often going above and beyond the call of duty to mentor them in the right direction. I was very fortunate to have crossed paths with him in my life as well.”
Former VC quarterback Lenny Mayard, who graduated in 1998, added, “He was a great coach and a great man who will be missed by many. He was very passionate, always honest with you, and strived to get the best out of us.”
Blaize spent most of his career coaching football and track and field. At the rural consolidated high school he worked at in Mississippi, he was the head baseball coach and head track coach, which ran simultaneously in the spring.
And he got different things out of coaching different sports, Blaize said.
“Football’s a team thing and a strategy thing, but track’s a ‘see kids grow and improve things,’” he said. “It’s different.”
Blaize had a great passion for track, and it showed at Vermilion Catholic, where many went on to win state. 
Chris Meaux, who ran track in 1996-1998, said Blaize had a major influence on his life. 
“He was our high school track coach and football coach, and without him, I wouldn’t have run for the Ragin’ Cajuns,” said Meaux. “I wouldn’t be coaching my son Isaiah the way I do. The Do Great Things Track Team wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for the way he coached and inspired me.
“He pushed us with some of the toughest workouts — but he also felt what we felt. He knew when to challenge us and when to believe in us more than we believed in ourselves.
“I’ll never forget the regional meet when I was trying to qualify for state in the 3200-meter race. The pace was faster than I had ever run, and I was stuck in sixth place, fading. With one mile to go, I heard Coach Ossie yell louder than I’d ever heard before:
“You got to go run with them! If you die, you die!!!”
“Something in me flipped. I moved from 6th to the front, took the lead on the last lap, and qualified for state with my fastest time all season.
“That was Coach Ossie. Passionate. Fierce. Encouraging. Honest. Legendary.”