Ross Lingle

Ross LeConte Lingle bred and trained greyhounds while serving as a leader in greyhound industry organizations for many years.

He was born on Feb. 26, 1922 in rural Lancaster County, S.C. He married Clariece Tabb and they made their home in Altus, Okla., where he drove a milk truck and called square dances before he was introduced to the greyhound industry after meeting Perry Hasty, who asked Lingle to accompany him to watch Hasty’s greyhounds race in Florida.

Soon after, Lingle leased a brood matron from Hasty named Cindy Troubles, which he bred to Duke of Loup. All but one of the nine puppies whelped in November of 1966 made it to Grade A racing, and one, RL’s Way Out, was considered the best offspring of Duke of Loup, who was the Top Sire in 1969.

Lingle’s most notable litter was out of Cactus Lonesome and Carol Scott and included Cherokee Go, named to the 1973 All-America team and winner of the Mile High Timberline Stake and Jack Fisher Memorial that year among her career total of 61 victories; she also held numerous track records. Another member of the litter was Apache Go, who won 21 of 52 races.

For many years, Lingle also trained greyhounds at numerous tracks throughout the country and at Caliente and Juarez, Mexico. Additionally, he helped others get involved in the greyhound business.

Lingle was on the National Greyhound Association Board of Directors for 17 years, serving as vice president from 1989 to 1991. He was a member of the American Greyhound Council and he worked to establish a better working relationship between the National Greyhound Association and the American Greyhound Track Operators Association. He also was instrumental in organizing the Greyhound Hall of Fame Scholarship Golf Tournament, which raised money for scholarships for youth involved in the greyhound industry.

His legacy continues through his three sons, David, John and Joey, and his grandson, Mitch, who are all involved in some facet of the greyhound business.