In the early 1970′s no other athlete displayed more ability to excel in three sports than Don Jones. Don played football, basketball and baseball for SCHS and was a large contributor to the success of all three teams.

As a quarterback on the football team, Don was a 1st Team North Egypt Conference quarterback. His head coach, Gary Brandt, stated “Don does a fine job of running the club and I have not seen any other quarterback as good as Don this season.” He was also named the “Player of the game” vs. Mt. Carmel on October 15, 1971.
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The 1981 Salem Wildcats football team brought a return of glory to the program.

After five losing seasons in the past six years, which included a 2-7 record just the year before in 1980, Salem did nearly a 360 degree turnaround under first-year coach Chuck Budde.

The Wildcats came up just short in their bid to win the North Egypt Conference championship, but their 8-1 regular season record produced the first ever playoff berth for the program.

The run to the playoffs began with a 13-6 win over Centralia. Bobby Moore, who rushed for 95 yards, scored on a 16 yard run and Jeff Meador added a three-yard touchdown run to lead the way.
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A 1971 graduate of Salem Community High School, James Willhite had a highly prolific athletic career.

Willhite participated in four sports during his high school career with football and track the site of his
biggest success.

In football Willhite put up the best numbers ever for a Salem tight end and some of the best yardage numbers ever for Wildcats receivers.

A three-year starter. Willhite caught 23 passes for 513 yards as a junior in the 1969 season. During his senior season Willhite hauled in 25 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns.
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One of the cornerstones for some of the best Salem Wildcats football teams ever, J. Roy Fogle excelled at both the high school and collegiate level.

A 1948 graduate of Salem High School, Fogle’s last two football teams had a combined 14-4 record.

Fogle made most of his contributions on the line, where he usually played right guard.

As a junior in 1946 Fogle helped Salem to an 8-1 record and second place in the North Egypt Conference. His blocking helped the Wildcats average nearly 290 yards per game. Fogle received NEC Honorable Mention for his efforts.

As a senior Fogle helped the Wildcats finish 6-3 overall, but 6-0 in the NEC to win the league championship. That team averaged 28 points a game in its six NEC wins.
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They may not have had the most explosive offense or the stingiest defense in the school’s history, but there is one thing the 1965 Salem Wildcats football team knew how to do. Win.

Under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Joe Thomas, the 1965 Wildcats compiled an 8-1 overall record and an outright North Egypt Conference championship.

The ability to win close games was a main trademark of this squad. On four different occasions Salem won games by a touchdown or less. They included a 26-20 win over Bridgeport, a 14-7 win over Flora, a 20-13 Homecoming win over Mt. Carmel and a 20-14 win over Carmi.
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One measly point kept the 1962 Salem Wildcats football team from an undefeated season. Unfortunately that 7-6 loss to Flora in the third week of the season not only kept the Wildcats from an unbeaten season, but an NEC championship as well.

The Jolly Green Giants, as they were nicknamed by former Salem Times Commoner sports editor Bill Larimer, used a punishing defense to shut out three opponents (Olney 18-0, Carmi 54-0, and Mt. Vernon 26-0) and limit two other opponents to a single touchdown (the 7-6 loss to Flora and a 35-7 win over Mt. Carmel).

Salem allowed just 84 points for the season, just over nine a game.
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