| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Blair | ||
| Date of birth | (1905-02-02)2 February 1905 | ||
| Place of birth | Parkhead, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 7 March 1985(1985-03-07) (aged 80) | ||
| Place of death | Blackpool, Lancashire, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft5+1⁄2 in (1.66 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Wing half, full back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Davonport Albion | |||
| Toronto Scottish | |||
| Willys Overland Motor Works | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1924–1925 | Providence Clamdiggers | 36 | (5) |
| 1925 | Parkhead Juniors | ? | (?) |
| 1925–1931 | Clyde | 179 | (2) |
| 1931–1936 | Aston Villa | 129 | (0) |
| 1936–1939 | Blackpool | 121 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1927–1928 | Scottish League XI | 3 | (0) |
| 1928–1932 | Scotland | 8 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Daniel Blair (2 February 1905 – 7 March 1985) was a Scottish football player who began his senior career in North America before finishing it in England. He also earned eight caps with the Scotland national team.[2]
Although he was born in Parkhead, Scotland, Blair began with his career with junior clubs Rasharkin in 1920 and Cullybackey in 1921, while he was a student in Ireland.[3] He then went on to play in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with Davonport Albion in 1922.[3] He then moved to Toronto Scottish, and Willys Overland in 1923, before signing with the Providence Clamdiggers of the American Soccer League in 1924.[4][3]
After one season, he returned to Scotland where he signed with Parkhead Juniors, shortly before moving to Clyde in April 1925.[3] He spent six seasons with Clyde[5] before transferring to Aston Villa of the Football League for £7,000 on 24 October 1931. Blair played 138 League and Cup games for Aston Villa.[3] He played 37 times as Villa finished runners up to Arsenal in the League Championshipin1932–33 and was a member of their team that reached the 1934 FA Cup semi final, where they were heavily beaten by the eventual winner Manchester City.[3] He then joined Blackpool. He made his debut for the Tangerines in the opening League game of the 1936–37 season, in a 2–1 victory at Leicester City on 29 August 1936.[3] He went on to be an ever-present that campaign, starting in all of the club's 42 League games and two FA Cup games, as the team won promotion from Division Two.[6] He remained with Blackpool until the Second World War in 1939. Throughout his whole career he played in 408 League matches and scored two goals, both for Clyde.[3]
Blair made his International debut for Scotland in a 4–2 win over WalesatIbrox in October 1928. He won a total of eight caps for his country.[3][7] He captained the team against Austria in May 1931.[8][9]
He received league honours with the Glasgow Junior League against the breakaway Intermediate League in 1925,[10] and later on with the senior Scottish League XI three times between 1927 and 1928.[3]
Selected to represent the Scottish FA XI team that toured Canada in 1927, Blair featured in eleven matches in total.[11] He earned further honours with Glasgow in the annual inter-city fixture Sheffield.[12]
Clyde
Aston Villa
Blackpool
Scotland[7]
