PROFILE: Merrill Blair was born in Waverly, Ohio June 20, 1905. Mr. Blair, a former truck driver from Columbus, Ohio, today resides in Hialeah, Florida. Blair was added to the PIONEER section in 1979.

HISTORY: One of the fans at Grove City, Iowa greyhound track in the early twenties was Merrill Blair, from nearby Columbus. He quit his truck driving job and left for Florida to work as a trainer for Ollie Ostendorf. In 1927 the famed Cal Ohlinger-Merrill Blair partnership was formed. This partnership would last for 27 years, up to Cal’s death. “In all that time we never had a contract or anything else in writing,” Merrill recalls. “We never had a disagreement.” After Cal’s death, the kennel became Blair & Sons—the sons being Carroll and Clinton. Now their vast operation is known as the Blair Brothers and today another generation of Blair’s has entered the picture.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Merrill’s greatest greyhound was FLASHY SIR, one of the first three greyhounds to be inducted into the Greyhound Hall of Fame. Many other champion greyhounds have been affiliated with the Blair kennels: TIP SPEED, CHEROKEE GO, BB’S CAPTAIN, MEADOW MIST, BB’S DELIGHT, to name a few.