Big Eight Conference (Wisconsin)

The Big Eight Conference is a high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in south central Wisconsin. All member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

1925–1964

The Big Eight Conference was originally formed in 1925 as the Big Six Conference and its original members were Beloit Memorial, Janesville, Kenosha, Madison Central, Madison East and Racine. It consisted of the largest high schools in southern Wisconsin that were located outside of the greater Milwaukee area and was alternatively known by its official name (the Southern Wisconsin Conference) during its early years. The conference added a seventh high school in 1929, a year after Racine High School split into William Horlick High School on the north side and Washington Park High School on the south side of the city. Park took Racine's place in the conference when it was split in 1928, and Horlick joined the conference a year later. However, it wouldn't be known as the "Big Seven" for long as Madison added a third high school on the west side of the city in 1930, and they immediately became members upon opening. The original Big Eight lineup lasted for over thirty years before rapid growth created a rift that changed its membership in the modern era.

1964–1970

As the metropolitan areas of the Big Eight grew, so too did the need for more space for high school students to relieve overcrowding. Madison opened a fourth high school on the city's far east side in 1963 named after Wisconsin politician Robert M. LaFollette. They joined the Big Eight in 1964 along with the new George Nelson Tremper High School on the south side of Kenosha. The existing high school in Kenosha was also renamed after local educator Mary D. Bradford. More changes were on the horizon, and three more recently opened high schools joined the conference. Jerome I. Case High School opened on Racine's west side in 1966, and two others joined in 1967: James Madison Memorial High School (renamed after Wisconsin politician Vel Phillips in 2021) on Madison's far west side and George S. Parker High School on Janesville's west side. Janesville's current high school was also named after local politician Joseph A. Craig in the process.

By this time, the Big Eight had ballooned to thirteen members (twelve after Central-University High School closed in 1969), and along with that growth came greater problems with scheduling and travel. In 1967, the five Madison high schools announced their exit from the Big Eight Conference and gave the three high schools in Rock County the option of joining them in a new conference, which they accepted. The five high schools in Racine and Kenosha formed the South Shore Conference after their forced removal from the Big Eight, which had a tumultuous ten-year history before it was finally disbanded in 1980.

1970–present With the Madison-area schools having successfully split from those in southeastern Wisconsin, the new-look Big Eight Conference began play in 1970 with seven schools (Beloit Memorial, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Madison East, Madison La Follette, Madison Memorial and Madison West). Membership increased back to eight with the addition of Sun Prairie High School from the Badger Conference in 1977, and in later years the Big Eight added two other large metropolitan Madison high schools: Middleton in 1994 and Verona in 2008 (both formerly of the Badger Conference). Membership stayed at ten schools until 2022, when Sun Prairie High School completed its split into two schools. Sun Prairie High School became Sun Prairie East and Sun Prairie West High School was completed on the west side of the district. The following year, Beloit Memorial left the Big Eight after nearly a century of membership to join the Southern Lakes Conference.

Football-only alignment In February 2019, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, the WIAA released a sweeping football-only realignment for Wisconsin to commence with the 2020 football season and run on a two-year cycle. The Big Eight Conference decreased its football membership from ten to eight schools, with the two Janesville schools leaving for membership in the Badger Conference's large-school division. They would return to the Big Eight for football in 2022, exchanging affiliation with the newly split Sun Prairie East and Sun Prairie West, who took their place in the large-school division of the Badger Conference. Beloit Memorial also left to join the Southern Lakes Conference for football, one year prior to moving over as full members in 2023.

List of member schools

Current members SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsJoinedJanesville CraigJanesville, WIPublic1,521Cougars 1967Janesville ParkerJanesville, WIPublic1,456Vikings 1967Madison EastMadison, WIPublic1,763Purgolders 1925Madison La FolletteMadison, WIPublic1,607Lancers 1964Madison WestMadison, WIPublic2,302Regents 1930MiddletonMiddleton, WIPublic2,454Cardinals 1994Sun Prairie EastSun Prairie, WIPublic1,392Cardinals 1977Sun Prairie WestSun Prairie, WIPublic1,439Wolves 2022Vel Phillips MemorialMadison, WIPublic2,027Spartans 1967VeronaVerona, WIPublic1,876Wildcats 2008

Current associate members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsPrimary ConferenceSport(s)Beloit MemorialBeloit, WIPublicPurple Knights Southern LakesBoys HockeyDeForestDeForest, WIPublicNorskies BadgerBoys VolleyballEdgewoodMadison, WIPrivate (Catholic)Crusaders BadgerBoys VolleyballFort AtkinsonFort Atkinson, WIPublicBlackhawks BadgerBoys Volleyball

Notes

Current co-operative members TeamColorsHost SchoolCo-operative MembersSport(s)Janesville Bluebirds Janesville ParkerJanesville CraigBoys HockeyJanesville Phoenix Janesville CraigFort Atkinson, Janesville Parker, MiltonBoys LacrosseLa Crosse Lightning La Crosse CentralAquinas, Holmen, La Crosse Logan, Luther, Onalaska, West SalemBoys LacrosseMadison Knights Madison La FolletteMadison East, Madison West, Vel Phillips MemorialBoys LacrosseSun Prairie United Varies by sportSun Prairie East, Sun Prairie WestGymnastics, Boys Hockey, Boys Lacrosse, Boys Volleyball

Notes

Former members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceBeloit MemorialBeloit, WIPublicPurple Knights 19252023Southern LakesJanesvilleJanesville, WIPublicBluebirds 19251967Closed (split into Janesville Craig and Janesville Parker)Kenosha BradfordKenosha, WIPublicRed Devils 19251970South ShoreSoutheastKenosha TremperKenosha, WIPublicTrojans 19641970South ShoreSoutheastMadison CentralMadison, WIPublicTigers 19251969Closed in 1969RacineRacine, WIPublicBlack and Gold 19251928Closed (split into Racine Horlick and Racine Park)Racine CaseRacine, WIPublicEagles 19661970South ShoreSoutheastRacine HorlickRacine, WIPublicRebels 19291970South ShoreSoutheastRacine ParkRacine, WIPublicPanthers 19281970South ShoreSoutheast

Membership timeline

Full members

Football members

Membership map

Sponsored sports Janesville Craig●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Janesville Parker●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Madison East●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Madison La Follette●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Madison West●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Middleton●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Sun Prairie East●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Sun Prairie West●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Vel Phillips Memorial●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Verona●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Notes

List of state champions

Fall sports +Boys Cross CountrySchoolYearDivision Madison West1947Single Division Racine Park1948Single Division Racine Park1949Large Schools Janesville1950Large Schools Madison West1951Large Schools Madison West1955Large Schools Janesville1961Large Schools Janesville1962Large Schools Madison West1963Large Schools Racine Horlick1966Large Schools Madison Memorial1967Large Schools Madison Memorial1969Large Schools Madison Memorial1991Division 1 Madison West2004Division 1 Madison La Follette2006Division 1 Madison La Follette2007Division 1 Madison West2012Division 1 Madison West2014Division 1 Madison West2016Division 1 Middleton2017Division 1 Middleton2019Division 1 +Girls Cross CountrySchoolYearDivision Madison Memorial1980Class A Madison Memorial1984Class A Janesville Craig1991Division 1 Middleton1995Division 1 Middleton1996Division 1 Middleton1997Division 1 Middleton2006Division 1 Sun Prairie2016Division 1 Sun Prairie2017Division 1 Middleton2020-21Alternate Season Middleton2021Division 1 +FootballSchoolYearDivision Madison West1977Division 1 Sun Prairie1995Division 1 +Girls GolfSchoolYearDivision Madison West1972Single Division Madison West1973Single Division Madison West1974Single Division Madison West1975Single Division Madison West1976Single Division Madison Memorial1977Single Division Madison Memorial1979Single Division Madison Memorial1980Single Division Middleton2009Division 1 Verona2014Division 1 Middleton2015Division 1 Middleton2019Division 1 Middleton2020-21Alternate Season +Boys SoccerSchoolYearDivision Madison West1984Single Division Madison West1987Single Division Madison West1988Single Division Middleton2004Division 1 Madison Memorial2006Division 1 Verona2019Division 1 Verona2022Division 1 Middleton2023Division 1 +Girls Swimming & DivingSchoolYearDivision Madison Memorial1970Single Division Madison Memorial1971Single Division Madison Memorial1972Single Division Madison West1973Single Division Madison Memorial1974Single Division Madison Memorial1975Single Division Madison Memorial1976Single Division Madison West1977Single Division Madison Memorial1978Single Division Madison Memorial1979Single Division Madison West1980Single Division Madison West1981Single Division Madison West1982Single Division Madison West1983Single Division Madison West1986Single Division Madison Memorial1988Single Division Madison West1989Single Division Madison West1990Single Division Madison West1991Single Division Madison West1992Division 1 Madison Memorial1993Division 1 Madison Memorial1994Division 1 Madison West1995Division 1 Madison West1996Division 1 Madison West1997Division 1 Madison West1998Division 1 Madison Memorial1999Division 1 Madison Memorial2000Division 1 Madison Memorial2001Division 1 Madison East2007Division 1 Middleton2016Division 1 Middleton2017Division 1 Middleton2018Division 1 Middleton2023Division 1 +Girls TennisSchoolYearDivision Madison Memorial1987Single Division Madison Memorial1988Single Division Middleton2013Division 1 Middleton2020-21Alternate Season +Boys VolleyballSchoolYearDivision Madison West1947Single Division Madison Central1949Single Division Madison Central1950Single Division Middleton2023Single Division

Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivision Beloit Memorial1932Single Division Beloit Memorial1933Single Division Beloit Memorial1934Class A Beloit Memorial1937Class A Racine Park1943Single Division Madison West1945Single Division Beloit Memorial1947Single Division Madison East1958Single Division Beloit Memorial1969Single Division Janesville Parker1971Single Division Beloit Memorial1973Class A Madison La Follette1977Class A Madison La Follette1982Class A Madison West1992Division 1 Madison La Follette2002Division 1 Madison Memorial2005Division 1 Madison Memorial2009Division 1 Madison Memorial2011Division 1 +Girls BasketballSchoolYearDivision Madison West1976Class A Madison West1982Class A Janesville Parker1993Division 1 Janesville Parker2000Division 1 Janesville Parker2001Division 1 Verona2016Division 1 +GymnasticsSchoolYearDivision Madison La Follette1983Class A Madison East1987Class A Verona/Edgewood2023Division 1