Bill Blair, born in Dallas, is a former Negro Leagues pitcher. Beginning his baseball career at the age of 16, playing for a barnstorming team in Mineola, Texas, and went on to join the Army. He pitched from 1946 to 1951, for the Cincinnati Clowns and Cincinnati Crescents , playing against players such as Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige, and Hilton Smith. After retiring from baseball, he became a fixture in the community, running a local newspaper, the Elite News , organising golf tournaments and parades.