Greg Salo belongs to a very exclusive group in the Mining City. That is to say that he earned All-American honors as a football player at Butte High School.

Salo eared that honor while playing for the Bulldogs in 1969. That was his third straight year as an All-State inside linebacker for the Bulldogs. He also started at quarterback during that senior season, tossing nine touchdown passes.

He was a key member of Butte High’s back-to-back State championship teams in 1967 and 1968.

Salo, who also played three years on the varsity basketball team at Butte High, went to UCLA to play football. According to a newspaper story announcing his signing at UCLA, Salo said he picked the Bruins over about 30 other schools that recruited him.

After one season in Los Angeles, Salo transferred to the University of Montana, where he played linebacker for the Grizzlies.

Of course, more people probably know Salo as a coach. His long coaching run included almost a decade at Montana State, where he served as the defensive coordinator for the Bobcats. Then he became head coach at Butte High School, where he led the Bulldogs from 2002 through 2007.

Salo was known as a bit of a no-nonsense coach who got the most out of his players. He knew when to chew a player out and when to give him a pat on the back.

His tenure at Butte High included coaching Colt Anderson, who went on to an All-American career with the Grizzlies and a nine-year career in the NFL. Anderson is currently the special teams coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.

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