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Inductee Profile

Steve Salisbury

2024

Steve Salisbury came to the Rice Lake School District from Elgin, Ill., in 1995, taking over the twin position of athletics director/high school assistant principal. By the time he retired in 2016, he had filled his 21-year tenure with remarkable accomplishments benefitting Rice Lake Warrior athletics. Steve spearheaded a community campaign to gather support for a multi-million-dollar athletic complex, which opened in 2009 at the high school. Prior to that, Salisbury provided the impetus for creation of the Rice Lake Sports Hall of Fame, which held its first banquet in 2001. Besides recognizing outstanding athletes, the Hall of Fame Foundation has awarded more than $100,000 in student scholarships. Over Steve’s two decades in Rice Lake, he oversaw Warrior athletics and established a highly-competitive stance in the Big Rivers Conference despite being the smallest school in the conference. Steve was instrumental in assembling a strong stable of Warrior coaches, including coaxing Hall of Fame football coach Vern Pottinger to come to Rice Lake from Illinois. At the same time, Steve stressed the importance of academics for Warrior athletes. Steve drew on his own experience when working with coaches. At Elgin High School, he was head coach in softball and wrestling, and assistant coach in football, while serving as assistant athletics director. In his 15 years as head wrestling coach, Salisbury’s teams produced eight all-state medalists. In his five seasons as head softball coach, Elgin won five regional titles and four conference championships while winning a state record 56 straight conference games. Overall in 5 years from 1991 to 1995 his teams won 126 games while only losing 31 including 35 + 1 in 1991. Steve, who attended Chicago State and Loyola universities, was selected Northern Illinois Coach of the Year in softball twice. While in Rice Lake, Steve served on the executive board of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Assn., and was a recipient of the WADA Athletic Director of the Year. In the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Assn., Steve served on the Sportsmanship and Competitive Equity committees. Steve and his wife, Bev, now live on the Spider Lake Chain east of Hayward, where he spent childhood summers fishing at his parents’ cabin, which is now the Salisbury’s home. Steve continues to pursue his passion for fishing while running a custom fishing rod business out of his home.

Steve Salisbury
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