Mary Riley started her coaching career at Salem Community High School in the spring of 1983 coaching softball. She had previously taught and coached softball at Flora High School. Mary coached softball only three years but her real accomplishments would start in 1994 when she became the head girls’ golf coach at SCHS.

The 1994 Lady Wildcats golf team would prove to be one of the most dominant teams in SCHS history. The team’s record was an impressive 58-15. They won the Olney and Benton Invitational tournaments, finished second at the Edwardsville Invitational, and fourth at the Blazier Classic.

In post season, the girls won the AA Regional and Sectional and qualified for the State Tournament where they finished eleventh. This team was out played only by Mary’s 1995 team that was 77-8 (a school record). This was Coach Riley’s most accomplished team. They finished as the N.E.C. Champions, won the Olney, Benton, and Edwardsville Invitationals. They won the Class AA Regional and finished second in the Sectional. They qualified for the State tournament and finished in seventh place. The girls’ golf teams continued their winning ways in 1996 finishing 54-19, 1997 – 46-20, 1998 – 47-23, and 1999 – 50-18. Mary’s overall record was 332-103. Following Mary’s retirement from coaching, she continued to be a wonderful Math teacher until December of 2003.

Mary passed away on February 28, 2004 after a long battle with cancer. She will always be remembered as a great coach, math teacher, and friend to all of the students and faculty at Salem Community High School.