The Northwestern Conference was an IHSAA-sanctioned athletic conference involving schools from Gary, Indiana.
The conference was formed in 1963, after the West Division of the Northern Indiana Conference split. At this time, the conference encompassed most of the schools in Gary (except for Edison, Roosevelt, and Wirt; Edison would close in 1968, the other two would join later), Hammond (except for Gavit and Morton, who would join in 1966), and East Chicago schools, as well as the schools from Valparaiso and Whiting.
The conference expanded to 16 schools in 1966, adding Hobart High School, as well as Gary Roosevelt, Hammond Gavit and Hammond Morton. The expansion moved the conference into divisions: the East Division consisted of the Gary schools, Hobart, and Valparaiso, the West Division consisting of the East Chicago, Hammond, and Whiting schools.
The conference changed its name to the Gary City Series in 1968, as Hobart and Valparaiso became independent, with the rest of the non-Gary schools formed the Indiana Lake Shore Conference. These schools would be replaced by parochial school Andrean, and the new Gary West Side. The next year, Gary Froebel and Tolleston closed, and the conference reverted to the Northwestern Conference moniker. Wirt would join in 1970 from the old Calumet Conference, and Andrean left to be independent in 1975.
The conference membership has decreased over the years as schools closed (Emerson in 1981, Mann in 2004,Wirt in 2009, and Lew Wallace in 2014), with the remaining two schools forced to become independent in 2014.
| School | City | Mascot | Colors | County | Year joined | Previous conference | Year left | Conference joined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Chicago Roosevelt | East Chicago | Rough Riders | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1968 | Tri-City | ||
| East Chicago Washington | East Chicago | Senators | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1968 | Tri-City | ||
| Gary Emerson | Gary | Tornado | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1981 | none (school closed, reopened as Emerson VPA) | ||
| Gary Froebel | Gary | Blue Devils | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1969 | none (school became MS, closed 1977) | ||
| Gary Mann | Gary | Horsemen | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 2004 | none (school closed) | ||
| Gary Tolleston | Gary | Blue Raiders | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1969 | none (school became MS, closed 2007) | ||
| Gary Wallace | Gary | Hornets | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 2014 | none (school closed 2014) | ||
| Hammond | Hammond | Wildcats | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1968 | Tri-City | ||
| Hammond Clark | Hammond | Pioneers | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1968 | Tri-City | ||
| Hammond Tech | Hammond | Tigers | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1968 | Tri-City | ||
| Valparaiso | Valparaiso | Vikings | 64 Porter | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1968 | Independents (Duneland 1970) | ||
| Whiting | Whiting | Oilers | 45 Lake | 1963 | Northern Indiana | 1968 | Tri-City | ||
| Gary Roosevelt | Gary | Panthers | 45 Lake | 1966 | Independents | 2014 | Independents | ||
| Hammond Gavit | Hammond | Gladiators | 45 Lake | 1966 | Independents | 1968 | Tri-City | ||
| Hammond Morton | Hammond | Governors | 45 Lake | 1966 | Independents | 1968 | Tri-City | ||
| Hobart | Hobart | Brickies | 45 Lake | 1966 | Independents | 1968 | Independents (Duneland 1970) | ||
| Andrean | Gary | 59ers | 45 Lake | 1968 | Independents | 1975 | Independents (school moved to Merrillville) | ||
| Gary West Side | Gary | Cougars | 45 Lake | 1968 | none (new school) | 2014 | Independents (GLAC 2018) | ||
| Gary Wirt | Gary | Troopers | 45 Lake | 1970 | Calumet | 2009 | school closed |
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:1963 till:1969 text:East Chicago Roosevelt (1963-1969) bar:2 color:red from:1963 till:1969 text:East Chicago Washington (1963-1969) bar:3 color:red from:1963 till:1981 text:Gary Emerson (1963-1981) bar:4 color:red from:1963 till:1969 text:Gary Froebel (1963-1969) bar:5 color:red from:1963 till:2004 text:Gary Mann (1963-2004) bar:6 color:red from:1963 till:1969 text:Gary Tolleston (1963-1969) bar:7 color:red from:1963 till:2014 text:Gary Wallace (1963-2014) bar:8 color:red from:1963 till:1969 text:Hammond (1963-1969) bar:9 color:red from:1963 till:1969 text:Hammond Clark (1963-1969) bar:10 color:red from:1963 till:1969 text:Hammond Tech (1963-1969) bar:11 color:red from:1963 till:1969 text:Valparaiso (1963-1969) bar:12 color:red from:1963 till:1969 text:Whiting (1963-1969) bar:13 color:red from:1966 till:end text:Gary Roosevelt (1966-present) bar:14 color:red from:1966 till:1969 text:Hammond Gavit (1966-1969) bar:15 color:red from:1966 till:1969 text:Hammond Morton (1966-1969) bar:16 color:red from:1966 till:1969 text:Hobart (1966-1969) bar:17 color:red from:1968 till:1976 text:Gary Andrean (1968-1976) bar:18 color:red from:1968 till:end text:Gary West Side (1968-present) bar:19 color:red from:1970 till:2009 text:Gary Wirt (1970-2009)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1963
TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(175,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"Northwestern Conference Membership History"