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In the annals of Centralia High School, there have been those who have been successful in athletic endeavors and continued that into life as well.
In that select company is Charles Warren, who is entering the Centralia Sports Hall of Fame in the Veterans Category. From a being a standout on one of the premier teams in CHS football history to having a top three finish in the state track meet, he proceeded into a long and distinguished career as an educator as well before his passing in 2016.
A 1960 graduate of Centralia Township High School and listed at 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, Warren overcame humble beginnings to become one of the leading athletes in a period when the Orphans were exceptionally strong in football and track.
"He often brought us to Centralia to visit when we were growing up," said his daughter, Michelle Pittman. "He told us about walking to school every day and having to put hardboard in the bottom of his shoes because of the holes."
"He grew up poor but family meant everything to him and he later made that - helping those who were less fortunate - part of his life," said his daughter, Heather Wilson. "He was always very grateful and appreciative of what his parents did to get him to where he needed to be."
At CTHS, Warren became an all-around athlete in playing football, basketball and baseball, in addition to running cross country and track.
In the 1958 track season, he was part of a record-setting mile relay team in 3:28.9 with Tom Eggers, Leon Carter and Mickey Steptoe that took first place in the District meet at East St. Louis and qualified for state. He also qualified individually for state in the high jump.
That fall, he played a key role on one of the best football squads to hit the field for Centralia. The Orphans went 9-0 in outscoring opponents 384-12 and Charles Warren was a major contributor on both sides of the ball.
Teaming with Mickey Steptoe in the backfield, he rushed for 1,092 yards and scored 11 touchdowns while totaling 58 tackles on defense.
The following spring he was the high jump champion at both the South 7 Conference and District meets and with the qualifying mark of 5-10.
In the state meet at Champaign, Warren upped his effort to take third place, in going six-feet. His personal best in his CHS career was 6-1 1/2.
From there, it was on to Southern Illinois University where he lettered three years for the Salukis.
"He was proud of his football career," Pittman said of her father's playing at Southern where the quarterback was future NFL star Jim Hart.
As a sophomore, he made an immediate splash for the Salukis in rushing for 367 yards while averaging nearly five yards per carry and also catching four passes for 101 yards. But an injury hindered him the remainder of his career at Southern Illinois although he did log 38 carries in 1963 and scored a touchdown, and in 1964 still saw action and scored a TD.
"People I've talked to said he would have had a path to the NFL had he not had a knee injury," Wilson said of her father, who also lettered in track two years at SIU.
While his athletic career was ending, Warren's days in education were just beginning.
"He was always a proponent of education and presenting yourself before people in the best manner possible," said Pittman. "He always felt that it (education) was the key to opening doors to the future."
Remaining in Carbondale, Warren served as principal at Carbondale Community High School's East campus and was active in civic organizations as president of the Carbondale Park District and president of the United Way. In 1985, he was inducted into Southern Illinois University's Saluki Athletic Hall of Fame.
"I think everyone in Carbondale knew my father," said Wilson.
In 1989, he became principal at Ensley High School in Birmingham, Ala., where he was named Principal of the Year and compared to Joe Clark.
"He made sure that kids had a breakfast and after school, he would take them home," said Wilson. "He was a father figure to so many who were going through difficult times and he did all that he could to help young men become productive citizens.
"He was a blessing to so many."
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