While Steve Hill excelled in both football and basketball at Salem Community High School, it was golf that paved his way into not only a collegiate career but a professional career as well.

A 1969 graduate of SCHS, Hill was known as a fierce rebounder on the basketball court despite his lack of size inside. That ability led to special mention on the all-state team in the 1968-69 season.

In football Hill capped off a solid high school career in 1968 when he was named to the All-South Team as a split end.

Hill was medalist during several meets as a Wildcat golfer. His biggest moment came during his junior season in 1968 when he finished second at the regional and qualified for the state meet as an individual. During state competition Hill finished 30th out of 144 golfers.
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Whether it be for his cries of “Touchdown Wildcats!” or “Bottom of the Net!”, Billy Hawley is simply known as the Voice of the Salem Wildcats.

Hawley’s broadcasts on WJBD Radio have been a part of listeners lives for more than a quarter of a century.

Hawley, a graduate of Odin High School, made his debut over the airwaves in 1971 when he covered the Wildcats basketball team at the Centralia Holiday Tournament.

By the fall of 1972 Hawley had added football broadcasts to his resume.

He has been doing both sports on a regular basis ever since.

Hawley has had the pleasure of broadcasting four Salem football teams that have won North Egypt Conference champions (1985, 1991, 1992 and 1997) and 13 teams that have qualified for the state playoffs.
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Only two Salem High School boys have ever placed in the Illinois state track meet and both occurred under the old one-class system.

The first came when Ross Smith placed second in the hammer throw in 1905.

The other was Louis Middleton, who placed in the state meet on two occasions.
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C. “King” Boring made his biggest impact on the sports world after he graduated from Salem High School in 1922.

After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in business and accounting, Boring nearly hit big as an owner of a professional basketball team.

Boring, who was nicknamed King because he took on and beat the school bully growing up, purchased the Detroit Gems in an era when pro basketball did not have the appeal that it does today. The Gems were a barnstorming team that played in cities across the country.
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Ten years after his father went into the Salem Sports Hall of Fame, Howard Thurman Jr. now joins him in this elite group.

The son of former Salem coaching great Howard Thurman Sr.,Thurman Jr. was a strong athlete in basketball, track and football during his days as a Wildcat.

A 1952 graduate, Thurman Jr. set school records in both basketball and track at Salem. He set a single game scoring record of 34 points during a game in the 1951-52 season.

During that same year he broke the North Egypt Conference track record in the 180 yard low hurdles with a time of 22.9.
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When people look at the Salem Community High School girls’ basketball record book, they will find the name Marla (Sapp) Tolliver in numerous places.

Tolliver is Salem’s all-time career scoring leader for both boys and girls with 2347 points. At one time it was believed she was the state’s all-time career scoring leader. Sixteen years after she graduated from Salem that total still ranks among the top 20 in Illinois history for girls.
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