With a strong line of Bud Alderson and Arlin Wade at tackle; Bill Chance and Richard Laney at guard; and Glenn Holler at center, the Wildcats had the protection to unleash the speed of Bill Hooks who scored 22 touchdowns, and the power of Gay Thomason and Carle Blackwell to dominate their opponents.

In the opener, Hooks scored on a 35-yard run and Alderson intercepted a Lawrenceville pass and raced 90 yards for the other touchdown. Hooks scored all four touchdowns in the 25-0 win over Bridgeport, prior to the lone loss to Flora.

After a 19-0 win over Fairfield, nine of the 11 starters scored in a 73-0 romp over Mt. Carmel In the 7-0 win over Centralia, the Wildcats out gained the Orphans 192-49, with the lone touchdown coming on a 29-yard run by Hooks who carried 25 times for 136 yards in the game.

After a 52-0 romp over Olney, the Wildcats blanked Benton 7-0, and won the Armistice Day finale over Mt. Vernon 20-7, giving them a 3-0 record over South Seven Conference teams.

A 1960 graduate of SCHS, he received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs and was sixth in his graduating class in 1964. While at the Air Force Academy, he played freshman football and ended his football activity in his sophomore year after a broken collar bone and two separated shoulders.

In football his senior year in high school, he carried the ball 121 times for 742 yards, having exceptional games against Flora with 113 yards in a 40-12 victory, against Olney with 179 yards in a 25-19 win; and against Bridgeport with 92 yards in a 39-13 victory.

One of the most memorable games was a 6-0 win at Carmi, played in freezing weather on an ice-encrusted frozen field. In the tight game, Wells carried only 12 times but scored the only touchdown. During his junior year he had 95 carries for 377 yards with this best game against Carmi with 128 yards rushing.

In basketball, he was the leading scorer his senior year, racking up 259 points as an out-court shooter. In a 67-64 upset of Mt. Vernon that year he scored 22 points.

Running the low hurdles in track, he scored many points. In 1958 Salem won the North Egypt Conference track championship.

Wells was an All-North Egypt Conference selection, was chosen on the All-Southern Illinois team, named to the All-State team selected by the Chicago American, and was selected to the Wigwam Wisemen of America All-American squad. Because he had been admitted to the Air Force Academy and was in basic training, he was unable to play in the East-West all senior game at Baton Rouge, La.

After graduation from the Air Force Academy, Wells received his pilot’s wings in 1965. He was then assigned to the Strategic Air Command, Flying the KC-135 in SAC, and earned the Air Medal for re-fueling flights for fighter strikes in North Vietnam.

In 1968 he began flying C·130′s throughout Vietnam, earning 4 more Air Medals as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross. Returning to the United States in 1970 and at the University of Southern California, Wells earned a M.S. degree in Systems Management. After a year flying for the Air Weather Service in a hurricane-hunter squadron, he served as aide-de-camp and pilot for a U.S. Army general in the North American Defense Command.

Wells gained his jump wings from the Army’s Airborne Infantry School in 1973 and then earned a M.S. degree in English at the University of Minnesota after completing off-duty and night studies. As Director of Freshman English at the Air Force Academy, he split his time between classroom teaching and instructing young pilots-to-be at the airfield. He served two years as Executive Assistant to the Superintendent of the Academy.

From 1979 to 1983, Wells served in Europe with the last two years as Commander of the 37th Tactical Airlift Squadron. He was Assistant Chief of Staff of the Military Airlift Command and was a student at the Air War College.

An all-state honorable mention in 1949, Parker helped anchor the middle of the Salem line with Bob Bishop, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee, and Earl Justice.

Parker played football all four years at SIU and lettered with the varsity his junior and senior years. As a 5-9, 169-pound lineman, he was chosen the Salukis’ captain his senior year. Ironically, he teamed in the line with Ron Bishop, brother of Bob. Ron Bishop had graduated from Bridgeport High School after the family moved from the Salem area.

Parker majored in geology at SIU, but after graduation he was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel. First serving with the 2nd Marine Air Wing at Cherry Point, North Carolina, he also served with the 8th Marines at Camp Lejune, aboard the USS Essex, and at the Marine Recruiting Station at Buffalo, New York.

Following his graduation from Amphibious Warfare School, then a Major, Parker served as a field advisor with the Vietnamese Marines, returning in 1967. He was awarded the Navy Commendation for Achievement medal, the Bronze Star medal and a Gold Star medal in lieu of a second Bronze Star.

After two years as Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks, Kodiak, Alaska, he commanded the 1st Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment, Paris Island, South Carolina. From 1973-74 Parker served with the 3rd Marine Division as Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion Ninth Marines and as Deputy G-4.

Lt. Col. Parker’s last assignment before retiring was at Quantico, Virginia, where for four years he was an instructor and head of the Strategy Division, Marine Corps , Command and Staff College.

Since retirement, he can be found in Big Timber, Montana, “hunting antelope, deer, and elk with bow and arrow or anything else handy.”

Mercer, who had an 11-0 record in regular season action, opened with a 4-0, no-hit victory over Vandalia, striking out 18 batters. He walked one batter that game and then promptly picked him off at first. He next recorded an 8-0 no-hitter over Lawrenceville, also fanning 18. Then came a no-hit, 11-0 win over Centralia, with 13 strikeouts, and a 13-0 no-hitter over Olney, with 10 strikeouts. Both of those games were five-inning affairs. National recognition came after the fourth no-hitter with a two-page spread in Life magazine.

Mercer’s no-hit string was broken in a 3-0 win over Flora, giving up one hit, while striking out 10. He picked up the no-hit binge with a 12-0, five-inning victory over Bridgeport, facing only 15 batters and striking out 13. Over the season, he allowed only 21 hits in 84 innings pitched. Salem had a 16-1-1 record that year (5-0-1 in NEC play) being tied 3-3 by Fairfield. The Wildcats advanced to the sectional final before bowing to Freeburg 5-4.

Mercer began his organized baseball career in Salem Little League program as a pitcher for the 4-H sponsored team. He recorded a 4-0 record as a high school sophomore, with one no-hitter and one one-hitter. During his junior year, he recorded a 9-3 record.

After high school, Mercer signed a contract with the Kansas City Athletics in 1957 and spent his rookie year at Grand Island, Nebraska. He spent one year at Selma, Alabama, two years at Sioux City, Iowa, and played his last year at LeWiston, Idaho. After a very cold spring in Albany, New York, he suffered a back injury from which he never fully recovered. This curtailed his baseball career so he left and entered college. He received a B.Ed. degree from Washburn College in Topeka. He could not play college ball because of his pro career so he served as pitching coach of the Washburn baseball program from 1963 through 1965.

He has worked with juvenile delinquents at the Youth Center of Topeka and the Youth Center at Atchison for over 30 years. For 18 years, he and his wife lived in a cottage with 18 boys plus their own family of four sons and a daughter. He is currently Director of Youth Services over all cottages at the Youth center in Atchison, Kansas, supervising over 100 13 to 16-year-olds and 80 youth service workers.

Mercer was selected State of Kansas Correction Association Employee of the Year in 1982. He has directed the Youth Baseball program, coached American Legion baseball and women’s softball in Atchison.

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.