Northern Indiana Athletic Conference

Northern Indiana Conference
Founded	1927
No. of teams	1 Class 6 A, 2 Class 5A, 5 Class 4A, 4 Class 3A, 1 Class 2A
Region	North Central Indiana
Locations
	The Northern Indiana Conference in Indiana. Current Areas are in red, Former Areas are in MaroonThe Northern Indiana Conference in Indiana. Current Areas are in red, Former Areas are in Maroon

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]

Current members

School	Location	Mascot	County	Enrollment [1] 24–25 IHSAA Class	Joined	Previous Conference
Elkhart¹	Elkhart	Lions	20 Elkhart	3,166 4A	2020	Elkhart County
Mishawaka Marian	Mishawaka	Knights	71 St. Joseph	735 3A	2005	Independents (NIVC 1978)
New Prairie	New Carlisle	Cougars	46 LaPorte	970 3A	2015	Northern State
Penn²	Mishawaka	Kingsmen	71 St. Joseph	3,480 4A	1974	Northern IN Valley
South Bend Adams	South Bend	Eagles	71 St. Joseph	2,062 4A	1941	none (new school)
South Bend Riley	South Bend	Wildcats	71 St. Joseph	1,298 4A	1931	Independent (School Opened in 1924)
South Bend Saint Joseph³	South Bend	Huskies	71 St. Joseph	849 3A	2005	Independents (NIVC 1978)
South Bend Washington	South Bend	Panthers	71 St. Joseph	886 3A	1938	none (new school)

Elkhart was known as Elkhart Central between 1972 and 2020. In 2020, Elkhart Central consolidated with Elkhart Memorial.
Played concurrently in NIC and NIVC 1974–78.
South Bend Saint Joseph was known as South Bend St. Joseph's until 2012.

Former members

School	Location	Mascot	County	Joined	Previous Conference	Left	Conference joined
East Chicago Washington¹	East Chicago	Senators	45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Gary Emerson	Gary	Golden Tornadoes	45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Gary Froebel	Gary	Blue Devils	45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Gary Mann	Gary	Horsemen	45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Goshen	Goshen	Redskins	20 Elkhart	1927	Elkhart County	1969	Independents
Hammond	Hammond	Wildcats	45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
La Porte	LaPorte	Slicers	46 La Porte	1927	Independents	1976	Duneland
Michigan City Elston²	Michigan City	Red Devils	46 La Porte	1927	Independents	1995	none (consolidated into Michigan City)
Plymouth	Plymouth	Pilgrims	50 Marshall	1927	Independents	1930	Independents
South Bend Central³	South Bend	Bears	71 St. Joseph	1927	Independents	1970	none (school closed)
Valparaiso	Valparaiso	Vikings	64 Porter	1927 1945 1953	Independents Independents Independents	1930 1948 1963	Independents Independents Northwestern
Whiting	Whiting	Oilers	45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
East Chicago Roosevelt	East Chicago	Rough Riders	45 Lake	1929	Little 7	1963	Northwestern
Gary Wallace	Gary	Hornets	45 Lake	1935	Little 7	1963	Northwestern
Hammond Tech	Hammond	Tigers	45 Lake	1937	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Gary Tolleston	Gary	Blue Raiders	45 Lake	1941	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Hammond Clark	Hammond	Pioneers	45 Lake	1941	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Fort Wayne North Side⁴	Fort Wayne	Redskins	02 Allen	1942	Ft. Wayne City Series	1965	Ft. Wayne City Series/Summit
Elkhart Memorial⁵	Elkhart	Crimson Chargers	20 Elkhart	1972	Northern Indiana Conference	2000	Northern Lakes
Elkhart Central	Elkhart	Blue Blazers	20 Elkhart	1972	Independents	2020	Consolidated into Elkhart
South Bend LaSalle⁶	South Bend	Lions	71 St. Joseph	1976	Northern IN Valley	2001	none (school closed)
Mishawaka	Mishawaka	Cavemen	71 St. Joseph	1927	Independents	2020	Northern Lakes
Bremen	Bremen	Lions	50 Marshall	2015	Northern State	2024	Northern State
Jimtown	Elkhart	Jimmies	20 Elkhart	2015	Northern State	2024	Northern State
John Glenn	Walkerton	Falcons	71 St. Joseph	2015	Northern State	2024	Northern State
South Bend Clay	South Bend	Colonials	71 St. Joseph	1978	Independents (NIVC 1978)	2024	none (school closed)

East Chicago Washington was known as East Chicago until 1928.
Michigan City Elston was known as Michigan City until 1972.
South Bend Central was known as South Bend until 1930.
Played concurrently in the NIC and FWCS their entire membership in the NIC.
Played concurrently in the NIC and NLC 1999–2000.
Played concurrently in the NIC and NIVC 1976–78.

Membership timeline

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 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:2020 text:Mishawaka (1927-2020)
 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)

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  text:"Northern Indiana Conference Membership History"

</timeline>

Rivalries

Main rivalries:

Riley Wildcats vs. Penn Kingsmen
Penn Kingsmen vs. Mishawaka Cavemen* (often called "The Backyard Brawl")
St. Joseph High School vs. Marian Knights (often called "The Holy War")
Riley Wildcats vs. Adams Eagles
New Prairie Cougars vs. La Porte* Slicers

Notable sub-rivalries

St. Joseph vs. Penn
Riley vs. Marian (often called "The South Side Brawl")
Marian vs. Mishawaka* (often called "The Civil War")
Mishawaka* vs. Washington
Marian vs. Penn (baseball only)
St. Joseph vs. Culver Military Academy (hockey and lacrosse only)*°
Mishawaka vs. Adams (basketball only)

Former rivalries

Elkhart Central Blue Blazers vs. Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers* (often called "The Battle of Elkhart")
Lasalle vs Washington
Bremen Lions vs. Jimtown Jimmies (Rivalry published in November 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine "Unrivaled Rivalries")
Clay Colonials vs. Washington Panthers
Riley vs. Clay
Adams vs. Clay
Jimtown vs. NorthWood* (often called "The Border War")
Bremen vs. Triton* (also often called "The Border War")
St. Joseph vs. Clay
Mishawaka vs. Clay (football only).

(Asterisk indicates non-member of NIC)

(Degree indicates a non-NIC sanctioned sport)

State championships

Bremen (3)

1989 Football (A)
1994 Football (2A)
2019 Softball (2A)

Elkhart Central (6)

1968 Wrestling
1969 Boys Track
1973 Boys Cross Country
1979 Boys Golf
1993 Boys Track
2012 Baseball (4A)

Jimtown (6)

1974 Boys Gymnastics
1991 Football (A)
1997 Football (2A)
1998 Football (2A)
2004 Boys Basketball (2A)
2005 Football (2A)

Glenn (0)

Mishawaka (7)

1946 Boys Cross Country
1980 Volleyball
1983 Volleyball
1988 Volleyball
1991 Wrestling
2008 Wrestling
2010 Wrestling

Mishawaka Marian (12)

1973 Volleyball
1973 Football (A)
1975 Football (2A)
1976 Football (2A)
2001 Boys Golf
1999 Boys Hockey
2001 Boys Hockey
2010 Boys Hockey
2012 Girls Soccer (A)
2015 Boys Soccer (A)
2016 Boys Soccer (A)
2023 Boys Soccer (2A)

New Prairie (2)

2023 Softball (3A)
2024 Baseball (3A)

Penn (24)

1983 Football (4A)
1994 Baseball
1994 Girls Golf
1995 Football (5A)
1996 Football (5A)
1997 Football (5A)
1998 Baseball (4A)
1999 Softball (3A)
1999 Boys Soccer
2000 Football (5A)
2001 Baseball (4A)
2002 Girls Golf
2004 Girls Golf
2005 Girls Golf
2010 Volleyball (4A)
2011 Volleyball (4A)
2015 Wrestling
2015 Baseball (4A)
2016 Girls Basketball (4A)
2016 Girls Soccer (2A)
2017 Girls Soccer (3A)
2022 Baseball (4A)
2023 Softball (4A)
2023 Baseball (4A)

South Bend Adams (8)

1966 Boys Swimming & Diving
1966 Wrestling
1967 Boys Swimming & Diving
1968 Boys Swimming & Diving
1973 Boys Golf
1974 Boys Tennis
1976 Volleyball
1978 Volleyball

South Bend Clay (2)

1970 Baseball
1994 Boys Basketball

South Bend Riley (10)

1938 Boys Golf
1956 Boys Swimming & Diving
1957 Boys Swimming & Diving
1958 Boys Swimming & Diving
1962 Boys Swimming & Diving
1962 Boys Golf
1964 Boys Golf
1978 Boys Swimming & Diving
1986 Boys Swimming & Diving
1995 Boys Swimming & Diving

South Bend St. Joseph (13)

1972 Volleyball
1975 Girls Tennis
1995 Football (3A)
1998 Girls Soccer
2003 Boys Soccer
2005 Girls Basketball (3A)
2010 Girls Tennis
2010 Girls Soccer
2017 Girls Basketball (3A)
2017 Baseball (3A)
2022 Softball
2022 Boys Lacrosse
2025 Boys Basketball (3A)

South Bend Washington (3)

1973 Football (3A)
2007 Girls Basketball (4A)
2022 Girls Basketball (3A)

References

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Conference champions

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[1]

[2]

v t e Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA)
Boys' sports	Baseball Basketball (Championship) Cross country Football (large school, small school) Golf Soccer Swimming & diving Tennis Track and field Wrestling
Girls' sports	Basketball Cross country Golf Gymnastics Soccer Softball Swimming & diving Tennis Track and field Volleyball
Athletic conferences	Allen County Blue Chip Central Indiana Circle City Conference Indiana Duneland Eastern Indiana (Southern) Great Lakes Greater Indianapolis Greater South Shore Hoosier Hoosier Crossroads Hoosier Heartland Hoosier Heritage Hoosier Hills Hoosier North Hoosier Plains Indiana Crossroads Metropolitan Mid-Eastern Mid-Hoosier Mid-Indiana Football Mid-Southern Mid-State Midwest North Central Northeast Corner Northeast Eight Northern Indiana Northern Lakes Northwest Crossroads Ohio River Valley Patoka Lake Pioneer Pocket Porter County Sagamore Southern Southern Indiana Southern Roads Southwest Football Southwest Indiana Summit Three Rivers (Northern) Tri-Eastern Wabash River Western Indiana IHSAA Independents
Disbanded conferences	Adams Bartholomew-Shelby County Benton Big Blue River Big 4 Big Eight Blackford Blue River Boone Brown Calumet Athletic Capital District Carroll Cass Central Suburban Clark Classic Clay Clinton Daviess Dearborn Decatur DeKalb Delaware Dixie Dixie-Monon East Central Eastern Indiana (Northern) Eastern Wabash Valley Elkhart Fayette Fort Wayne City Fountain Franklin Fulton Gibson Grant Greene Hamilton Hancock Harrison Henry Howard Huntington Indiana H.S. Football Indiana Lake Shore Indianapolis Public Jackson Jasper Jay Jefferson Johnson Kankakee Valley Knox Kosciusko LaGrange Lake Athletic Lake-Porter Lake Suburban Laughery Valley Lawrence Little 4 Little 7 Little 8 Lost River Marion Marshall Martin Miami Mid-Central Mid-Indiana Midland Mississinewa Valley Monroe Montgomery Morgan Newton Noble Northeastern Indiana Northern Indiana Valley Northern State Northland Northwest Hoosier Northwestern Olympic Orange Owen Parke Patoka Valley Perry Posey Prairie Putnam Randolph Rangeline Ripley Rush South Central South Lake Michigan Southeastern Indiana Southern Monon Spencer Starke State Corner Steuben Sullivan Three Rivers (Southern) Tiny Ten Tippecanoe Tippecanoe Valley Tipton Tri-City League Tri-County (Central) Tri-County (Northern) Tri-County (Southern) Tri-County (Western) Tri-River Union Vermillion Vigo Wabash Warren Warrick Washington Wayne Wells West Central Western Indiana Small High School White White River White River Valley Whitewater Valley Whitley
Conference rosters	List of high school athletic conferences in Indiana Detailed lists Allen County – Metropolitan Mid-Eastern – Northwestern Ohio River Valley – Western Indiana Independent
City championships	Evansville (SIAC) Fort Wayne (SAC) Gary Indianapolis South Bend (NIAC)
Cross-conference tournaments	Christian Academy Tournament Columbus Christian Tournament Gibson County Toyota Teamwork Classic Indianapolis City Tournament Madison County Tournament Perry-Spencer County Classic Shawe Memorial Tournament Wabash Valley Classic

Northern Indiana Athletic Conference

Contents

History

Sponsored Sports

Boys

Girls

Current members

Former members

Membership timeline

Rivalries

State championships

Bremen (3)

Elkhart Central (6)

Jimtown (6)

Glenn (0)

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 (13)

South Bend Washington (3)

See also

Related links

References

Conference champions

Navigation menu

Northern Indiana Athletic Conference

History

Sponsored Sports

Boys

Girls

Current members

Former members

Membership timeline

Rivalries

State championships

Bremen (3)

Elkhart Central (6)

Jimtown (6)

Glenn (0)

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 (13)

South Bend Washington (3)

See also

Related links

References

Conference champions

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