Northern Indiana Athletic Conference Explained

Northern Indiana Conference
Founded:1927
Teams:1 Class 6 A, 2 Class 5A, 5 Class 4A, 4 Class 3A, 1 Class 2A
Region:North Central Indiana
Map:Indiana (NIAC).png
Map Size:250px

The Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) is a high school athletic conference that was founded in 1927 and spanned from as far west as Hammond and Gary to South Bend/Mishawaka and Elkhart to the east and south to Plymouth. Since its start in 1927, a total of 32 separate schools have at one time called the NIC home. From its inception until 1963, the conference had been divided into East and West divisions. The West Division (as well as Valparaiso) left to form the Northwestern Conference in 1963. With membership dwindling to 7 members by the 1970s, the conference added former members of the Northern Indiana Valley Conference to its ranks. Currently, every former NIVC member is now a part of the NIC except for South Bend Jackson, which closed in 1973, and South Bend LaSalle, which joined the NIC in 1977, but closed in 2001.

History

Like the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference, the NIAC was also a superconference that spanned several counties, and a lot of driving miles, for a period between 1940 and 1965. Throughout the 1970s the membership dwindled as many schools left to form new conferences. From 1995 to 2015 the two conferences share the same setup with 7 or 8 schools in one county, 8 in this case from St. Joseph County and 1 from an adjacent county, Elkhart in this case. This will change in 2015, as four schools from the folding Northern State Conference will join, making a 13 school conference.[1] This will also expand the conference footprint into two counties formerly represented in the NIAC: LaPorte (last represented in 1995) and Marshall (last represented in 1930). 2020 will bring more change, as Elkhart Central merges with former member Elkhart Memorial to form Elkhart high school, and Mishawaka leaves for the Northern Lakes Conference, taking Memorial's spot in that league.[2]

Sponsored Sports

Boys

Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling

Girls

Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Gymnastics, Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball

Current members

SchoolLocationMascotColorsCountyEnrollment https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/Boys%20Basketball%20Classifications%20for%202024-25%20and%202025-26.pdf
24-25
IHSAA Class		JoinedPrevious
Conference
Elkhart1ElkhartLions20
Elkhart		3,166
4A		2020Elkhart County
Mishawaka
Marian		MishawakaKnights71
St. Joseph		735
3A		2005Independents
(NIVC 1978)
New
Prairie		New
Carlisle		Cougars46
LaPorte		970
3A		2015Northern State
Penn2MishawakaKingsmen71
St. Joseph		3,480
4A		1974Northern IN Valley
South Bend
Adams		South BendEagles71
St. Joseph		2,062
4A		1941none (new school)
South Bend
Riley		South BendWildcats71
St. Joseph		1,298
4A		1931Independent (School Opened in 1924)
South Bend
St. Joseph3		South BendHuskies71
St. Joseph		849
3A		2005Independents
(NIVC 1978)
South Bend
Washington		South BendPanthers71
St. Joseph		886
3A		1938none (new school)
  1. Elkhart was known as Elkhart Central between 1972-2020. In 2020, Elkhart Central consolidated with Elkhart Memorial.
  2. Played concurrently in NIC and NIVC 1974-78.
  3. South Bend St. Joseph was known as South Bend St. Joseph's until 2012.

Former members

SchoolLocationMascotColorsCountyJoinedPrevious
Conference		LeftConference
joined
East Chicago Washington1East ChicagoSenators45
Lake		1927Independents1963Northwestern
Gary EmersonGaryGolden Tornadoes45
Lake		1927Independents1963Northwestern
Gary FroebelGaryBlue Devils45
Lake		1927Independents1963Northwestern
Gary MannGaryHorsemen45
Lake		1927Independents1963Northwestern
GoshenGoshenRedskins20
Elkhart		1927Elkhart County1969Independents
HammondHammondWildcats45
Lake		1927Independents1963Northwestern
La PorteLaPorteSlicers46
La Porte		1927Independents1976Duneland
Michigan City Elston2Michigan CityRed Devils46
La Porte		1927Independents1995none (consolidated
into Michigan City)
PlymouthPlymouthPilgrims50
Marshall		1927Independents1930Independents
South Bend Central3South BendBears71
St. Joseph		1927Independents1970none (school closed)
ValparaisoValparaisoVikings64
Porter		1927
1945
1953		Independents
Independents
Independents		1930
1948
1963		Independents
Independents
Northwestern
WhitingWhitingOilers45
Lake		1927Independents1963Northwestern
East Chicago RooseveltEast ChicagoRough Riders45
Lake		1929Little 71963Northwestern
Gary WallaceGaryHornets45
Lake		1935Little 71963Northwestern
Hammond TechHammondTigers45
Lake		1937Independents1963Northwestern
Gary TollestonGaryBlue Raiders45
Lake		1941Independents1963Northwestern
Hammond ClarkHammondPioneers45
Lake		1941Independents1963Northwestern
Fort Wayne North Side4Fort WayneRedskins02
Allen		1942Ft. Wayne City Series1965Ft. Wayne City Series/Summit
Elkhart Memorial5ElkhartCrimson Chargers20
Elkhart		1972Northern Indiana Conference2000Northern Lakes
Elkhart CentralElkhartBlue Blazers20
Elkhart		1972Independents2020Consolidated into Elkhart
South Bend LaSalle6South BendLions71
St. Joseph		1976Northern IN Valley2001none (school closed)
MishawakaMishawakaCavemen71
St. Joseph		1927Independents2020Northern Lakes
BremenBremenLions50
Marshall		2015Northern State2024Northern State
JimtownElkhartJimmies20
Elkhart		2015Northern State2024Northern State
John GlennWalkertonFalcons71
St. Joseph		2015Northern State2024Northern State
South Bend
Clay		South BendColonials71
St. Joseph		1978Independents
(NIVC 1978)		2024none (school closed)
  1. East Chicago Washington was known as East Chicago until 1928.
  2. Michigan City Elston was known as Michigan City until 1972.
  3. South Bend Central was known as South Bend until 1930.
  4. Played concurrently in the NIC and FWCS their entire membership in the NIC.
  5. Played concurrently in the NIC and NLC 1999-2000.
  6. Played concurrently in the NIC and NIVC 1976-78.

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyyImageSize = width:750 height:auto barincrement:20Period = from:1927 till:2027TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white

PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:red from:1927 till:1963 text:East Chicago (1927-1928)/EC Washington (1928-1963) bar:2 color:red from:1927 till:end text:Elkhart (1927-1972)/Elkhart Central (1972-2020/Elkhart (2020-present) bar:3 color:red from:1927 till:1963 text:Gary Emerson (1927-1963) bar:4 color:red from:1927 till:1963 text:Gary Froebel (1927-1963) bar:5 color:red from:1927 till:1963 text:Gary Mann (1927-1963) bar:6 color:red from:1927 till:1969 text:Goshen (1927-1969) bar:7 color:red from:1927 till:1963 text:Hammond (1927-1963) bar:8 color:red from:1927 till:1976 text:LaPorte (1927-1976) bar:9 color:red from:1927 till:1995 text:Michigan City (1927-1972)/MC Elston (1972-1995) bar:10 color:red from:1927 till:end text:Mishawaka (1927-present) bar:11 color:red from:1927 till:1930 text:Plymouth (1927-1930) bar:12 color:red from:1927 till:1970 text:South Bend (1927-1930)/SB Central (1930-1970) bar:13 color:red from:1927 till:1930 text:Valparaiso (1927-1930), (1945-1948), (1953-1963) bar:13 color:red from:1945 till:1948 text: bar:13 color:red from:1953 till:1963 text: bar:14 color:red from:1927 till:1963 text:Whiting (1927-1963) bar:15 color:red from:1929 till:1963 text:East Chicago Roosevelt (1929-1963) bar:16 color:red from:1931 till:end text:South Bend Riley (1931-present) bar:17 color:red from:1935 till:1963 text:Gary Wallace (1935-1963) bar:18 color:red from:1937 till:1963 text:Hammond Tech (1937-1963) bar:19 color:red from:1938 till:end text:South Bend Washington (1938-present) bar:20 color:red from:1941 till:1963 text:Gary Tolleston (1941-1963) bar:21 color:red from:1941 till:1963 text:Hammond Clark (1941-1963) bar:22 color:red from:1941 till:end text:South Bend Adams (1941-present) bar:23 color:red from:1942 till:1965 text:Fort Wayne North Side (1942-1965) bar:24 color:red from:1977 till:end text:Penn (1977-present) bar:25 color:red from:1977 till:2002 text:South Bend LaSalle (1977-2002) bar:26 color:red from:1979 till:2024 text:South Bend Clay (1979-2024) bar:27 color:red from:2005 shift:(0,-3) till:end text:Mishawaka Marian (2005-present) bar:28 color:red from:2005 shift:(-21,-3) till:end text:South Bend St. Joseph (2005-present) bar:29 color:red from:2015 shift:(-20,-3) till:2024 text:Bremen (2015-2024) bar:30 color:red from:2015 shift:(-13,-3) till:2024 text:Glenn (2015-2024) bar:31 color:red from:2015 shift:(-24,-3) till:2024 text:Jimtown (2015-2024) bar:32 color:red from:2015 shift:(-38,-3) till:end text:New Prairie (2015-present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:1927

TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(175,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"Northern Indiana Conference Membership History"

Rivalries

Main rivalries:

Notable sub-rivalries

Former rivalries

(Asterisk indicates non-member of NIC)

(Degree indicates a non-NIC sanctioned sport)

State championships

Bremen (3)

Elkhart Central (6)

Jimtown (6)

Mishawaka (7)

Mishawaka Marian (12)

New Prairie (2)

Penn (24)

South Bend Adams (8)

South Bend Clay (2)

South Bend Riley (10)

South Bend St. Joseph (12)

South Bend Washington (3)

See also

Related links

Conference champions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UPDATE: NIC expands, adding Bremen, Jimtown, New Prairie and Glenn . Pete Byrne . WSBT TV, South Bend, IN . 2014-04-23 . 2014-04-24.
  2. Web site: Mishawaka High School to join the Northern Lakes Conference 2020-21 . Ray, Olivia . WSBT 22 (South Bend, IN) . 2018-07-11 . 2019-03-06.

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