A stalwart in the line of the Salem Wildcats North Egypt Conference football champion team of 1947 and the near-miss team of 1946, Bill Chance lettered in football, basketball and track at Salem Community High School.

He was a starting guard on the 1946 team that compiled an 8-1 record and on the 1947 championship team that went through the league schedule 6-0. He was an all-conference selection that year.

Chance was a member of the 1947-48 SCHS basketball team that compiled a 27-3 record and won the NEC championship with an 11-1 record.

A 1948 graduate of SCHS, Chance earned a B.S. degree in physical education at the University of Illinois in 1952 and earned a Master’s degree in education administration from Southern Illinois University. He played football his first three years at the University of Illinois and served as an assistant coach of the U of I freshman football team in 1954.

Chance served as athletic director and coached all sports at Saunemin High School. He coached football, basketball and baseball for 32 years at Freeport High School and served as athletic director for eight years.

Chance was chairman of the Northern Illinois Conference for four years. Upon his retirement, he was the secretary-treasurer of the Northern Illinois Conference.