The North Central Conference is an IHSAA-sanctioned athletic conference consisting of ten large high schools in Cass, Delaware, Grant, Howard, Madison, Marion, Tippecanoe, and Wayne Counties across Central and North Central Indiana. Most of these schools are in 35,000+ population towns like Anderson, Marion, Kokomo, Lafayette, Muncie, and Richmond. Several of the nation's largest gymnasiums belong to members of this conference.[1] [2]
The Conference was formed on March 23, 1926 by 10 schools in the Central third of Indiana. Charter members were Anderson, Arsenal Tech of Indianapolis, Frankfort, Kokomo, Lebanon, Logansport, Muncie Central, New Castle, Richmond, and Rochester. With a couple of minor changes in the first decade (Lafayette Jeff replacing Rochester in 1930, and Marion replacing Lebanon in 1933), the conference membership remained unchanged, while the conference added more sports to its umbrella.
This changed in 1960, as Arsenal Tech was forced to join the IPS Conference, and Frankfort left to co-found the Sagamore Conference in 1967. The conference would continue on with the same eight members for the next 36 years while changes were happening in the communities outside the schools. Anderson, Kokomo, and Muncie would open up second and third city high schools, while consolidations in the rural areas outside of Lafayette would give Jeff two similar-sized local rivals. However, the economic crisis and industrial decline in the late 1970s and early 1980s hit many of these cities hard, as populations dwindled without anything replacing the lost manufacturing jobs. Anderson, Kokomo, and Muncie are now down to one high school each.
In the face of these population shifts, Lafayette Jeff joined the Hoosier Crossroads Conference in 2003, joining local rivals Harrison and McCutcheon, as well as the growing suburban schools outside of Indianapolis. Huntington North was brought in from the Olympic Conference as a replacement, where it had previously had conference rivals located in Muncie and Anderson.
New Castle elected to leave the NCC at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. They joined the Hoosier Heritage Conference in 2014.[3] Huntington North left the NCC at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season to become a member of the Northeast Hoosier Conference. Lafayette Jeff rejoined the conference in 2014, bringing along fellow county schools Harrison and McCutcheon. Indianapolis Arsenal Tech rejoined the NCC as of April 1, 2015, but due to travel concerns, it will exit the conference at the end of the 2022-23 school year.
Marking another round of realignment, in early 2023 the conference announced restructuring and voted out West Lafayette Harrison and Lafayette McCutcheon following the 2023-24 school year.[4] In addition, Logansport announced in May 2023 the Berries would leave the North Central Conference and join the Hoosier Athletic Conference and replace Lewis Cass following the 2023-2024 school year.[5]
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | County | Enrollment https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/Boys%20Basketball%20Classifications%20for%202024-25%20and%202025-26.pdf 24-25 | IHSAA Class / Football | Year joined | Previous conference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | Anderson | Indians | 48 Madison | 1,722 | 4A/5A | 1926 | Independent | ||
| Kokomo | Kokomo | Wildkats | 34 Howard | 1,546 | 4A/5A | 1926 | Howard County | ||
| Lafayette Jefferson2 | Lafayette | Bronchos | 79 Tippecanoe | 2,034 | 4A/5A | 1931 2014 | Independent Hoosier Crossroads | ||
| Marion | Marion | Giants | 27 Grant | 1,045 | 3A/4A | 1933 | Grant County | ||
| Muncie Central3 | Muncie | Bearcats | 18 Delaware | 1,332 | 4A/4A | 1926 | Independent | ||
| Richmond4 | Richmond | Red Devils | 89 Wayne | 1,320 | 4A/4A | 1926 | Independent |
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | County | Enrollment | IHSAA Class /Football/Soccer | Year joined | Previous conference | Year left | Conference joined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort | Hot Dogs | 12 Clinton | 837 | 3A/3A/2A | 1926 | Independent | 1967 | Sagamore | |||
| Huntington North | Huntington | Vikings | 35 Huntington | 1,750 | 4A/5A/2A | 2003 | Olympic | 2015 | Northeast Eight | ||
| Lebanon | Lebanon | Tigers | 06 Boone | 1,049 | 3A/4A/2A | 1926 | Independent | 1933 | Independent | ||
| New Castle Chrysler | New Castle | Trojans | 33 Henry | 1,108 | 4A/4A/2A | 1926 | Independent | 2013 | |||
| Rochester | Zebras | 25 Fulton | 564 | 3A/3A/A | 1926 | Independent | 1931 | Central Indiana | |||
| Arsenal Tech | Indianapolis | Titans | 49 Marion | 2,122 | 4A/6A/3A | 1926 2015 | Independent IPS | 2023 | Independent | ||
| Harrison (West Lafayette) | Raiders | 79 Tippecanoe | 2,079 | 4A/5A | 2014 | Hoosier Crossroads | 2024 | Sagamore | |||
| McCutcheon | Lafayette | Mavericks | 79 Tippecanoe | 1,807 | 4A/5A | 2014 | Hoosier Crossroads | 2024 | Sagamore | ||
| Logansport | Logansport | Berries | 09 Cass | 1,252 | 4A/4A | 1926 | Cass County | 2024 | Hoosier |
PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:Full from:1926 till:1931 text:[Rochester Community High School|Rochester]] bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1931 till:1963 text:Central Indiana Athletic Conference bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:1963 till:1987 text:Northern Lakes bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:end text:Three Rivers bar:2 color:Full from:1926 till:1933 text:[Lebanon Senior High School|Lebanon]] bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1933 till:1951 text: Independent bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1951 till:1967 text:Western Indiana Conference bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1967 till:end text: Sagamore
bar:3 color:Full from:1926 till:end text:Arsenal Technical (1926–1960) bar:3 color:Full from:1926 till:1960 bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1960 till:2013 text:Indianapolis Public School Conference bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2015 text:Ind. bar:3 color:Full from:2015 till:2023 text:(2015-2023) bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:Ind. bar:4 color:full from:1926 till:1967 text:[Frankfort High School|Frankfort]] (1926-1967) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1967 till:2024 text:Sagamore bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:TBA
bar:5 color:Full from:1926 till:2013 text:New Castle (1926–2013) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text: HHC
bar:6 color:Full from:1926 till:end text:Anderson (1926–present)
bar:7 color:Full from:1926 till:end text:Kokomo (1926–present) bar:8 color:Full from:1926 till:end text:Logansport (1926–2023) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:Hoosier
bar:9 color:Full from:1926 till:end text:Muncie Central (1926–present)
bar:10 color:Full from:1926 till:end text:Richmond (1926–present) bar:11 color:Full from:1931 till:2003 text:Lafayette Jeff (1931–2003) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2003 till:2014 text:HCC bar:11 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:(2014-present)
bar:12 color:Full from:1933 till:end text:Marion (1933–present)
bar:13 color:Full from:2003 till:2015 text:Huntington N. (2003–2015) bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2015 till:end text:NEC
bar:14 color:Full from:2014 till:2024 text:Harrison (2014–2024) bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:TBA
bar:15 color:Full from:2014 till:2024 text:McCutcheon (2014–2024) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:TBA
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:1926TextData =
fontsize:L
textcolor:black
pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center)
text:^"North Central Conference membership history"
Starting with the 2014 season, the NCC began divisional competition. This only applies in boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis, boys baseball, and girls softball.
| East | West | |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson | Harrison | |
| Arsenal Tech | Kokomo | |
| Marion | Lafayette Jeff | |
| Muncie Central | Logansport | |
| Richmond | McCutcheon |
| Team | Seasons | ||
| 25 | Richmond | 1951, 1952, 1956, 1958*, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1970*, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977*, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994*, 1999, 2000*, 2001, 2012, 2013 | |
| 20 | Kokomo | 1932*, 1939*, 1955, 1957*, 1960*, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1987*, 1993, 1994*, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,2015, 2016, state runner up 2017 | |
| 17 | Lafayette Jeff | 1934*, 1936, 1937, 1943*, 1946, 1947, 1948*, 1950, 1966, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1994*, 1998, 2000*, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 | |
| 14 | Muncie Central | 1932*, 1933, 1934*, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943*, 1944, 1945, 1953, 1954*, 2002, 2003, 2004 | |
| 10 | Marion | 1960*, 1968, 1969, 1970*, 1986, 1987*, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2006* | |
| 7 | Logansport | 1958*, 1959, 1960*, 1977*, 1995, 2005, 2006* | |
| 5 | Arsenal Tech | 1939*, 1949, 1954*, 1957*, 1960* | |
| 5 | New Castle | 1935, 1938, 1948*, 1976, 1984 | |
| 2 | McCutcheon | 2014, 2016 | |
| 1 | Anderson | 1983 | |
| 3 | Harrison (WL) | 2016, 2021, 2022 | |
| 1 | Huntington North | 2006* | |
| 0 | Frankfort | ||
| 0 | Lebanon | ||
| 0 | Rochester |
| Team | Seasons | ||
| 21 | Marion | 1940, 1966, 1968,1969, 1975, 1977*, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990*, 1991, 1998*, 1999, 2000*, 2007*, 2008*, 2009 | |
| 20 | Muncie Central | 1927, 1928, 1929, 1938*, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1970*, 1978, 1994*, 2000*, 2004, 2005, 2007*, 2008*, 2012 | |
| 19 | Kokomo | 1939, 1944, 1945, 1951, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1971*, 1976*, 1990*, 1994*, 1996, 2003*, 2010*, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2023 | |
| 17 | Anderson | 1941, 1943*, 1949, 1965, 1973, 1974, 1976*, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1993, 1997*, 1998*, 2001*, 2002*, 2006, 2022 | |
| 12 | Lafayette Jeff | 1935, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1964, 1967, 1968, 2001*, 2003*, 2019, 2020 | |
| 10 | New Castle | 1943*, 1972, 1979, 1990*, 1995, 1997*, 2001*, 2003*, 2007*, 2010* | |
| 9 | Richmond | 1943, 1970*, 1971*, 1976*, 1977*, 1988, 2002*, 2014, 2015 | |
| 5 | Frankfort | 1930, 1931, 1936, 1937, 1938* | |
| 4 | Logansport | 1933, 1934, 1977*, 2017 | |
| 2 | Arsenal Tech | 1932, 1957 | |
| 2 | McCutcheon | 2016, 2018 | |
| 0 | Harrison (WL) | ||
| 0 | Huntington North | ||
| 0 | Lebanon | ||
| 0 | Rochester |
| Team | Seasons | ||
| 14 | Kokomo | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994*, 1998, 1999, 2000*, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008*, 2010 | |
| 9 | Anderson | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1994*, 2005, 2008*, 2021 | |
| 7 | Lafayette Jeff | 1988, 1989, 1995*, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| 5 | Logansport | 1997, 2008*, 2012, 2013, 2014 | |
| 5 | New Castle | 1979, 1995*, 2007, 2009, 2011 | |
| 4 | Harrison (WL) | 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 | |
| 4 | Marion | 1980, 1981, 2016, 2019 | |
| 4 | Richmond | 1985, 1990, 2000*, 2015 | |
| 0 | Arsenal Tech | ||
| 0 | Huntington North | ||
| 0 | McCutcheon | ||
| 0 | Muncie Central |
| 19 | Anderson | 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988 | |
| 16 | Richmond | 1960, 1961, 1970, 1971, 2973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999 | |
| 7 | Huntington North | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 | |
| 7 | Muncie Central | 1956, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1989, 2011 | |
| 6 | Marion | 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004 | |
| 6 | Lafayette Jeff | 1964, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2020 | |
| 5 | Kokomo | 1952, 1955, 1985, 2000, 2005 | |
| 3 | Harrison (WL) | 2018, 2019, 2022 | |
| 3 | Logansport | 1967, 1969, 1972 | |
| 2 | McCutcheon | 2016, 2017 | |
| 0 | Arsenal Tech | ||
| 0 | Franfort | ||
| 0 | Huntington North | ||
| 0 | Lebanon | ||
| 0 | New Castle | ||
| 0 | Rochester |