(The late Dick Salter in 2011 surrounded by (from top left) Damien coach Mark Paredes, Charter Oak coach Lou Farrar, son and Upland coach Tim Salter, and Bishop Amat coach Steve Hagerty.)
Former Arcadia High School football coach Dick Salter passed away at his Covina home surrounded by his family on Friday. He was 87.
Salter was head coach at Arcadia from 1970-89. In that time he led the Apaches football program to CIF championship game appearances in 1977 and ’78. Prior to Arcadia, he also had a long stint as head coach at Cathedral. Salter later won CIF championships as an assistant coach at Bishop Amat and Upland.
Salter is survived by his sons Tim and Tom, and daughters Linda, Karen and Kathie. Tim Salter is currently the head coach at Upland while Tom Salter recently was an assistant coach at Amat and is now athletic director at Culver City. Salter’s daughter Kathie is the principal at Charter Oak and married to Bishop Amat girls basketball coach Richard Wiard.
Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Salter was a familiar face at Bishop Amat football games in recent years. He also was close friends with Charter Oak football coach Lou Farrar, who used to visit Salter weekly and go over Chargers game films.
“He was a very good friend,” Farrar said Friday night. “It’s been six or eight years that I’ve been visiting him and going over video of our football games. You have to understand, Dick Salter didn’t miss anything. He was still very sharp. He was just a great friend.”
Among the greats Salter coached at Arcadia were NFL Hall of Fame lineman Bruce Matthews and his brother Clay, and former NFL kicker Mike Lansford. Salter served as athletic director at Arcadia from 1974-92. He played both baseball and football at the University of Oregon and Arcadia named its football field Salter Stadium in his honor.
