Calkins: The sad and sweet story of the last greyhound race at Southland
After nearly seven decades, there will be no more racing at Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis. The final race was held Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. (Geoff Calkins/The Daily Memphian)
Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
Greyhounds have been racing at Southland since 1956. But Saturday was the last race. The day was a celebration of the end of an era — and for many, the end of a way of life.
Topics
Subscriber Only Southland Casino Hotel greyhound racing Geoff CalkinsIt’s GivingTuesday week! Will you join the celebration?
Donate now to help power our free community news access program.You know the value of having unlimited access to The Daily Memphian’s news. When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians with quality, in-depth local news through
- free access at over 300 schools and libraries
- free podcasts and radio broadcasts
- free newsletters
- and more!
Thank you for keeping up with local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Geoff Calkins on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Geoff Calkins' stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Related stories
Live greyhound racing will be phased out at Southland
Live greyhound racing will be phased out at Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis by the end of 2022.
Calkins: Farewell, Jarvis! Thanks for more than 43 years of joy.
After more than 43 years, Jarvis Greer will finish his career at WMC-TV this Friday. It may be impossible to match the man’s enthusiasm. But maybe the rest of us should try.
Calkins: Would we be ready if a local high school athlete suffered cardiac arrest?
Houston High student Eden Johnson, 17, is behind a remarkable effort to teach emergency cardiac response that began at Houston but has already reached well beyond that school.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.