A 1950 SCHS graduate, who earned two varsity football letters at the University of Illinois, Bob Bishop was one of the kingpins of the line of the Salem team that compiled a 7-1-l record as Co-Champions of the North Egypt Conference.

An All-Conference guard in 1949, Bishop was also selected for All-State honors by the Champaign News-Gazette and the Chicago Daily News. He was selected to the 1939-49 SCHS “All-Decade” team picked in 1950.

Bishop played football all four years at the University of Illinois – on the freshman team in 1950, the JV team in 1951, and lettered with the varsity his junior and senior years. A member of the 1953 Big Ten champions, he was selected for the prestigious “George Huff Award for Scholarship and Athletics.”

He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1954 with a degree in geology and later earned his Master’s degree in geology from the University of Illinois in 1959.

In high school, he also participated in basketball and track. He lettered his senior year in basketball, the only year he played. In track, Bishop ran the dashes – 100, 220, and 440 – high jumped and long jumped and ran on the relay teams. He placed second in the long jump in the District meet in 1950 and earned a trip to the State track meet. His longest jump that year was 19 feet, 9-1/2 inches.

The 1949 Wildcat football team lost only a 24-21 decision to non-conference foe Benton and in conference play were tied 7-7 by Lawrenceville, forcing a tie with the Indians for the Conference Championship.

In his high school years, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts and was active with the Boy Scout movement and was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Denver, until his death in 1990.

He served with the Army Corps of Engineers from 1955-1958, with 3-1/2 years active duty as an army aviator. After his active duty, he returned to the University of Illinois to complete his Master’s degree.