Harry Blake, NMHU Feature Twirler, 1958-1963, performs a flying straddle split with baton toss, 1958. This signature athletic move showcased the strength and showmanship of the era’s top male baton twirlers. (Photo courtesy of NMHU; restored gently with AI software.)
1962 Men’s National Baton Twirling Champion
Long before he became one of Texas’ most respected band directors, Harry Blake was one of the nation’s top male baton twirlers.
Blake grew up in New Mexico, where his athletic ability carried over to both the basketball court and the competition floor. While attending Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico, he earned a basketball scholarship and continued to compete in baton twirling at state, regional and national contests. His success culminated in 1962 when he won the Men’s National Baton Twirling Championship.
NMHU Basketball Hall of Famer
His college career was notable for more than twirling. During his senior basketball season in 1963, Blake scored 43 points in his final home game to set a new individual scoring record for Highlands University. Decades later, he was inducted into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame in recognition of his accomplishments on the basketball court.
Twirling for the NBA
Blake’s championship baton skills opened another unusual opportunity. After graduating, he was invited to tour with the Washington Generals, the exhibition basketball team that traveled with the Harlem Globetrotters. The offer would have allowed him to combine basketball with his baton act, but Blake instead chose a career in music education.
Teaching Career
His first teaching position was in Goshen, Indiana, where he directed band, choir and general music for a small K-12 school district. From there he built a career that spanned more than five decades in public schools and higher education. He later served as director of bands at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, where he became one of the institution’s best-known music educators before retiring in 2015 after 52 years of teaching. He was named Director of Bands Emeritus and has continued to guest conduct, adjudicate and mentor young music educators.
Blake’s contributions to music education have earned numerous honors, including induction into the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Phi Beta Mu Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame.
Although his later career centered on bands rather than baton twirling, Blake remains one of the most accomplished male twirlers of his generation.
Blake is now in his 80s and living in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area.
