When it came to Marianne Larimer’s athletic career at Salem Community High School, she was a part of many firsts.

She was a member of the school’s first volleyball team. She was a member of the first girls basketball team. Now she has become the first female to be selected to the SCHS Hall of Fame.

Larimer, whose father Bill was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989, was a four-sport athlete at SCHS from 1972-1976. While she also played softball and tennis, her strongest sports were volleyball and basketball.
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A four-sport participant during his days in high school, Dan Wile made his name on the gridiron at Salem Community High School.

Wile’s football success at Salem in the 1953 season led him to a collegiate career at the University of Illinois and enshrinement into the Salem Community High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Wile, whose older brother Don was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986, played a big role in the Wildcats 8-1 season in 1953. Wile, a fullback, carried the ball 116 times for 890 yards, a 7.7 average. He was especially tough near the goal line, as he scored 13 touchdowns that season. That included a trio of scores in a 19-6 victory over Centralia.
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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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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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