One of the most successful gridiron coaches in Salem Community High School history, Joe Thomas was the fifth football coach inducted into the Hall of Fame. He joins fellow SCHS pigskin coaches Fred Corray, Howard Thurman, Kenny Farrar and Van Howe.

Thomas ranks third on the school list in both NEC career coaching victories with 40 and overall victories with 47. His .653 career winning percentage ranks fifth behind Kenny Farrar (.765), Chuck Budde (.711), Scott Steward (.700) and Howard Thurman (.683).

Known for his color and toughness on the field, Thomas coached at SCHS from 1959-66 and during that time guided two conference champions. His 1961 Wildcats shared the league crown with Carmi, while the 1965 team won the title outright. Twenty years would pass before Salem would win another NEC championship.
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The 1949 SCHS Wildcat football team, while lacking some of the size of earlier teams and much smaller than later teams that carried the banner, had a quickness and hard-hitting quality that led them to a 7-1-1 record. The 1949 team, tied 7-7 by Lawrenceville in the season opener, gained a Co-Championship of the North Egypt Conference with Lawrenceville with a 5-0-1 1eague record.

The 1949 team, with three members· Bob Bishop, Charles “Bud” Parker and Bill Spratt, previously inducted into the Salem High Sports Hall of Fame, were involved in close games all through their schedule. Only a 25-0 win over Bridgeport, following the tie with Lawrenceville, and a 26-7 victory over Fairfield could be considered “cake walks.”
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Setting offense records for total yards from scrimmage and leading the Salem Wildcats in the rushing and passing categories his junior and senior years, led Tom Horner to All-Conference, All-State and All-American honors.

Horner, ran and passed for a total of 2,312 yards in his high school career. His senior year, when he garnered his post-season honors, he rushed 81 time for 731 yards, a nine-yard average. He also completed 30 passes for 530 yards. As a junior, he carried 55 times for 461 yards, an 8.4-yard average, and completed 23 passes for 328 yards.
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A better-than-average athlete in high school, David Meador did not let a tragic auto accident deter him from excelling in life and in his favorite sport. Meador lost his sight when a police car, in which he was riding on a trip home from completing his shift as a radio-dispatcher for the police department, gave a pursuit to a fleeing violator and crashed.

Meador, overcame his disability to become a successful businessman and one of the top golfers in the nation. He won the National Championship of the United States Blind Golfers Association (USBGA) at the Firestone Country Club at Akron, Ohio, in 1977 and has finished second seven times.
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Dale Donoho lettered in three sports at Salem Community High School as a hard running tailback and played four years of football at West Texas State University.

Donoho, a 1966 graduate, lettered four years in football and as a three-year regular ball carrier averaged over six yards per carry. His senior year was capped with 996 yards on 166 carries on the Wildcat team that finished with an 8-1 record and the North Egypt Conference Championship.

His senior year, he scored 14 touchdowns, and caught six passes for 74 yards. As a junior, Donoho scored 15 touchdowns while gaining 867 yards on 141 carries. His sophomore year, he carried 54 times for 351 yards and caught four passes for 60 yards, scoring four touchdowns and five extra points.
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Recognized as one of the top football teams in SCHS history, the 1946 Wildcats inducted in 1993 compiled an 8-1 record, outscored their opponents 216-25 and rolled up 2,594 yards from scrimmage. The Wildcats finished second in the North Egypt Conference, losing to Flora, 12-0, in the third game of the season. The only other scores against the Wildcats were in the 13-6 opening win at Lawrenceville and in the closing 20-7 win over Mt. Vernon.

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.
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