The North Central Conference is an Indiana High School Athletic Association (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.USA Today Article on High School Gyms
History 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. 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. 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.
Membership School Location Mascot Colors County Enrollment 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 Jefferson1 Lafayette Bronchos 79 Tippecanoe 2,034 4A/5A 19312014 IndependentHoosier Crossroads Marion Marion Giants 27 Grant 1,045 3A/4A 1933 Grant County Muncie Central2 Muncie Bearcats 18 Delaware 1,332 4A/4A 1926 Independent Richmond3 Richmond Red Devils 89 Wayne 1,320 4A/4A 1926 Independent
Lafayette Jeff played in the HCC 2003–14. Known as Muncie until 1963. Known as Morton until 1948.
Former members School Location Mascot Colors County Enrollment IHSAA Class /Football/Soccer Year joined Previous conference Year left Conference joined Frankfort 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 Hoosier Heritage Rochester Rochester Zebras 25 Fulton 564 3A/3A/A 1926 Independent 1931 Central Indiana Arsenal Tech Indianapolis Titans 49 Marion 2,122 4A/6A/3A 19262015 IndependentIPS 2023 Independent Harrison (West Lafayette) West Lafayette Raiders 79 Tippecanoe 2,079 4A/5A 2014 Hoosier Crossroads 2024 Independent McCutcheon Lafayette Mavericks 79 Tippecanoe 1,807 4A/5A 2014 Hoosier Crossroads 2024 Independent Logansport Logansport Berries 09 Cass 1,252 4A/4A 1926 Cass County 2024 Hoosier
Membership timeline
Divisions 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
Conference championships Football # 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, 2024,2025 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
Boys basketball # 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
Girls basketball # 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
Boys cross country +#TeamSeasons19Anderson1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 198816Richmond1960, 1961, 1970, 1971, 2973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 19997Huntington North2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 20137Muncie Central1956, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1989, 20116Marion1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 20046Lafayette Jeff1964, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2014, 2015, 20205Kokomo1952, 1955, 1985, 2000, 20053Harrison (WL)2018, 2019, 20223Logansport1967, 1969, 1972 2McCutcheon2016, 20170Arsenal Tech0Franfort0Huntington North0Lebanon0New Castle0Rochester
State championships Anderson (26) 1935 Boys Basketball 1937 Boys Basketball 1945 Boys Track & Field 1946 Boys Basketball 1946 Boys Track & Field 1946 Boys Cross Country 1947 Boys Track & Field 1947 Boys Cross Country 1948 Boys Track & Field 1948 Boys Cross Country 1949 Boys Cross Country 1950 Boys Cross Country 1951 Boys Cross Country 1952 Boys Golf 1952 Boys Cross Country 1953 Boys Golf 1955 Boys Golf 1955 Boys Cross Country 1959 Boys Cross Country 1972 Boys Golf 1974 Boys Golf 1984 Girls Swimming & Diving 1985 Girls Swimming & Diving 1988 Boys Swimming & Diving 1989 Boys Swimming & Diving 1995 Boys Golf
Arsenal Tech (10) 1918 Baseball 1922 Boys Track 1933 Boys Golf 1936 Boys Golf 1947 Boys Golf 1948 Boys Golf 1952 Wrestling 1976 Wrestling 1979 Wrestling 2014 Boys Basketball (4A)
Harrison (4) 1974 Girls Track 1992 Football (4A) 1995 Baseball 2017 Boys Soccer (3A) 2024 Boys Soccer (3A)
Huntington North (2) 1990 Girls Basketball 1995 Girls Basketball
Kokomo (19) 1911 Boys Track 1924 Boys Track 1925 Boys Track 1926 Boys Track 1927 Boys Track 1934 Boys Track 1935 Boys Track 1937 Boys Track 1958 Boys Golf 1961 Boys Basketball 1969 Boys Swimming 1985 Baseball 1985 Boys Golf 1986 Boys Golf 1988 Boys Golf 1992 Girls Basketball 1993 Girls Basketball 1994 Boys Track 2003 Girls Basketball (4A)
Lafayette Jefferson Bronchos (14) 1916 boys' Basketball 1932 boys' Golf 1948 boys' Basketball 1964 boys' Basketball 1969 Baseball 1973 Baseball 1974 girls' Swimming 1975 boys' Tennis 1977 boys' Golf 1978 boys' Golf 1979 girls' Golf 1983 girls' Golf 1984 girls' Golf 1987 boys' Golf
Logansport (5) 1934 Boys Basketball 1975 Baseball 1977 Baseball 1979 Baseball 1991 Baseball
Marion (11) 1926 Boys Basketball 1966 Boys Golf 1975 Boys Basketball 1976 Boys Basketball 1984 Baseball 1985 Boys Basketball 1986 Boys Basketball 1987 Boys Basketball 1991 Boys Tennis 2000 Boys Basketball (4A) 2016 Boys Basketball (3A)
McCutcheon (4) 1999 Baseball (4A) 2003 Baseball (4A) 2008 Softball (4A) 2021 Girls' Volleyball (4A)
Muncie Central (17) 1928 Boys Basketball 1931 Boys Basketball 1951 Boys Basketball 1952 Boys Basketball 1963 Boys Basketball 1978 Boys Basketball 1979 Boys Basketball 1988 Boys Basketball 1956 Boys Cross Country 1958 Boys Cross Country 1967 Boys Cross Country 1997 Volleyball (4A) 1998 Volleyball (4A) 1999 Volleyball (4A) 2002 Volleyball (4A) 2004 Volleyball (4A) 2009 Volleyball (4A)
Richmond (8) 1941 Boys Golf 1958 Wrestling 1992 Boys Basketball 1993 Boys Golf 1994 Boys Cross Country 1996 Boys Golf 1997 Boys Golf 2003 Boys Golf
Largest gymnasiums in nation in NCC 1. Anderson High School Wigwam (8,996) NOT IN USE. 6. Marion High School (7,560)
Neighboring conferences Mid-Indiana Conference (MIC) Central Indiana Athletic Conference Three Rivers Conference
See also Hoosier Hysteria Largest high school gyms in the United States
Resources
IHSAA Conferences IHSAA Directory
External links Official website