Big North Conference (Michigan)


The Big North Conference is a high school athletic conference in Michigan. The conference is affiliated with the Michigan [High School Athletic Association].
The conference contains nine of the largest high schools across Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Among these schools, four are full-time members, two are non-football members, and three are football-only members.

History

The conference was created in 1997 after the split of Traverse City Senior High School into Central and West high schools. It combined the eight largest schools in Northern Michigan. In 2004, due to decreasing enrollment, Cheboygan and Sault Area left the conference. West Branch Ogemaw Heights joined the conference in 2011, but they left the conference after the 2015-16 school year due to decreasing enrollment as well.
In 2021, the league announced the departure of Traverse City Central and Traverse City West high schools' football programs, and those schools becoming associate members of the Saginaw Valley League. However, other sports offered by those schools will continue to participate in the Big North Conference.
In 2023, it was announced that three high schools, Escanaba, Marquette, and Sault Area, would be joining the BNC as football-only members.

Member schools

Non-football members
Football-only members
SchoolMascotColorsClass CityCountyYear joinedPrevious league
Alpena High SchoolWildcats 1,023 AlpenaAlpena1997Great Lakes Athletic Conference
Cadillac High SchoolVikings 860 CadillacWexford1997North Central Conference
Escanaba [Senior High School|Escanaba High School]Eskymos 709 EscanabaDelta2023Great Northern UP Conference
Gaylord High SchoolBlue Devils 901 GaylordOtsego1997Michigan Huron Shores Conference
Marquette Senior High SchoolRedmen 1,059 MarquetteMarquette2023Great Northern UP Conference
Petoskey High SchoolNorthmen 853 PetoskeyEmmet1997Michigan Huron Shores Conference
Sault Area High SchoolBlue Devils 786 Sault Ste. MarieChippewa2023Great Northern UP Conference
Traverse City Central High SchoolTrojans 1,382 Traverse CityGrand Traverse1997Great Lakes Athletic Conference
Traverse [City West Senior High|Traverse City West Senior High School]Titans 1,455 Traverse CityGrand Traverse1997N/A

Membership timeline


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bar:1 color:green from:1997 till:end text:Alpena Senior High School
bar:2 color:green from:1997 till:end text:Cadillac Senior High School
bar:3 color:green from:1997 till:2004 text:Cheboygan Area High School
bar:4 color:powderblue from:2023 till:end text:Escanaba High School
bar:5 color:powderblue from:2023 till:end text:Marquette High School
bar:6 color:green from:1997 till:end text:Gaylord High School
bar:7 color:green from:2011 till:2016 text:Ogemaw Heights High School
bar:8 color:green from:1997 till:end text:Petoskey High School
bar:9 color:green from:1997 till:2004 text:Sault Area High School
bar:9 color:powderblue from:2023 till:end text:
bar:10 color:green from:1997 till:2021 text:Traverse City Central High School
bar:10 color:pink from:2021 till:end text:
bar:11 color:green from:1997 till:2021 text:Traverse City West Senior High School
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Football champions

From 1997 to 1999 the Big North had a A division and a B division.
YearA ChampionRecordB ChampionRecord
1997Traverse City West7–2–0 Petoskey8–1–0
1998Traverse City West6–3 Petoskey9–2
1999Traverse City West5–4 Sault Ste. Marie7–3

Since 2000, the conference has operated with one division.
YearChampionRecord
2000Cadillac9–1
2001Gaylord9–1
2002Gaylord11–1
2003Traverse City West7–3
2004Traverse City West10–1
2005Gaylord6–3
2005Traverse City Central6–4
2006Traverse City West6–4
2007Traverse City Central5–4
2007Traverse City West6–4
2008Petoskey9–2
2008Traverse City West6–4
2009Cadillac8–2
2010Petoskey8–2
2010Traverse City West6–4
2011Petoskey9–2
2012Traverse City Central9–2
2013Cadillac11–1
2014Cadillac9–1
2015Traverse City Central9–1
2016Traverse City Central9–2
2017Traverse City West9–2
2018Traverse City West7–3
2019Traverse City Central8–2
2020Traverse City Central9–2
2021Traverse City Central12–2
2022Cadillac5–5
2023Gaylord11–1

Teams in the Final Regular Season Rankings

YearTeamDivisionRank
2002Gaylord33rd
2004Traverse City West13rd
2008Petoskey39th
2009Cadillac37th
2009Petoskey310th
2012Traverse City Central26th
2013Cadillac43rd
2014Cadillac43rd
2015Traverse City Central24th
2016Traverse City Central29th
2017Traverse City West110th
2019Traverse City Central27th
2020Traverse City Central210th
2021Traverse City Central23rd
2021Cadillac47th