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 High School (Wisconsin)|Madison Central], Madison [East High School|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 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 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, 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. 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. 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.

Membership timeline

Full members


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ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1925 till:2030
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id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
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width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:m
bar:1 color:tan1 from:1925 till:2023 text:Beloit Memorial
bar:2 color:tan1 from:1925 till:1968 text:Janesville
bar:2 color:tan1 from:1968 till:2030 text:Janesville Craig
bar:3 color:tan1 from:1925 till:1964 text:Kenosha
bar:3 color:tan1 from:1964 till:1970 text:Kenosha Bradford
bar:4 color:tan1 from:1925 till:1964 text:Madison Central
bar:4 color:tan1 from:1964 till:1969 text:Madison Central-University
bar:5 color:tan1 from:1925 till:2030 text:Madison East
bar:6 color:tan1 from:1925 till:1928 text:Racine
bar:7 color:tan1 from:1928 till:1970 text:Racine Park
bar:8 color:tan1 from:1929 till:1970 text:Racine Horlick
bar:9 color:tan1 from:1930 till:2030 text:Madison West
bar:10 color:tan1 from:1964 till:1970 text:Kenosha Tremper
bar:11 color:tan1 from:1964 till:2030 text:Madison LaFollette
bar:12 color:tan1 from:1966 till:1970 text:Racine Case
bar:13 color:tan1 from:1967 till:2030 text:Janesville Parker
bar:14 color:tan1 from:1967 till:2021 text:Madison Memorial
bar:14 color:tan1 from:2021 till:2030 text:Vel Phillips Memorial
bar:15 color:tan1 from:1977 till:2022 text:Sun Prairie
bar:15 color:tan1 from:2022 till:2030 text:Sun Prairie East
bar:16 color:tan1 from:1994 till:2030 text:Middleton
bar:17 color:tan1 from:2008 till:2030 text:Verona
bar:18 color:tan1 from:2022 till:2030 text:Sun Prairie West

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:1925

Football members (since 2020)


DateFormat = yyyy
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width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:m
bar:1 color:lavender from:2020 till:2022 text:Beloit Memorial
bar:2 color:lavender from:2020 till:2030 text:Madison East
bar:3 color:lavender from:2020 till:2030 text:Madison La Follette
bar:4 color:lavender from:2020 till:2030 text:Madison West
bar:5 color:lavender from:2020 till:2030 text:Middleton
bar:6 color:lavender from:2020 till:2022 text:Sun Prairie
bar:7 color:lavender from:2020 till:2030 text:Vel Phillips Memorial
bar:8 color:lavender from:2020 till:2030 text:Verona
bar:9 color:lavender from:2022 till:2030 text:Janesville Craig
bar:10 color:lavender from:2022 till:2030 text:Janesville Parker

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:2020

List of state champions

Fall sports

SchoolYearDivision
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

SchoolYearDivision
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

SchoolYearDivision
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

SchoolYearDivision
Madison West1947Single Division
Madison Central1949Single Division
Madison Central1950Single Division
Middleton2023Single Division

Winter sports

SchoolYearDivision
Madison West1976Class A
Madison West1982Class A
Janesville Parker1993Division 1
Janesville Parker2000Division 1
Janesville Parker2001Division 1
Verona2016Division 1

SchoolYearDivision
Madison East1975Single Division
Madison Memorial1976Single Division
Madison Memorial1977Single Division
Madison East1978Single Division
Madison Memorial1979Single Division
Madison Memorial1980Single Division
Madison West1983Single Division
Madison Memorial1985Single Division
Madison East1987Single Division
Madison Memorial1988Single Division
Sun Prairie1997Single Division
Madison Memorial1998Single Division
Beloit Memorial1999Single Division
Madison Memorial2000Single Division
Verona2014Single Division
Verona2020Division 1

SchoolYearDivision
Kenosha1929Single Division
Kenosha1930Single Division
Kenosha1931Single Division
Kenosha1934Single Division
Kenosha1952Single Division
Janesville1955Single Division
Janesville1961Single Division
Beloit Memorial1975Single Division
Beloit Memorial1976Single Division
Madison West1977Single Division
Madison West1978Single Division
Madison West1979Single Division
Madison Memorial1980Single Division
Madison Memorial1981Single Division
Madison West1982Single Division
Madison West1983Single Division
Madison West1984Single Division
Madison West1985Single Division
Madison Memorial1986Single Division
Madison West1987Single Division
Madison West1988Single Division
Madison West1989Single Division
Madison West1990Single Division
Madison West1991Single Division
Madison Memorial1992Single Division
Madison West1993Division 1
Madison Memorial1994Division 1
Madison Memorial1996Division 1
Madison Memorial2005Division 1
Madison Memorial2006Division 1
Madison Memorial2007Division 1
Madison Memorial2009Division 1
Madison Memorial2011Division 1
Madison Memorial2012Division 1
Madison Memorial2013Division 1
Madison Memorial2014Division 1
Madison Memorial2015Division 1
Madison Memorial2016Division 1
Madison West2018Division 1
Madison West2019Division 1
Middleton2020Division 1
Sun Prairie2021Division 1
Middleton2023Division 1
Middleton2024Division 1

Spring sports

SchoolYearDivision
Kenosha1929Single Division
Racine Park1931Single Division
Beloit Memorial1932Single Division
Madison West1934Single Division
Madison West1935Single Division
Madison West1936Single Division
Beloit Memorial1945Single Division
Racine Park1947Single Division
Racine Park1948Single Division
Madison West1949Single Division
Racine Horlick1950Single Division
Janesville1951Single Division
Racine Horlick1952Single Division
Janesville1953Single Division
Madison West1956Single Division
Madison West1957Single Division
Racine Park1958Single Division
Madison West1960Single Division
Madison West1961Single Division
Madison West1962Single Division
Janesville1963Single Division
Madison East1965Single Division
Madison West1966Single Division
Madison West1967Single Division
Racine Park1968Single Division
Racine Park1970Single Division
Madison Memorial1972Single Division
Madison West1976Single Division
Madison Memorial1984Single Division
Madison West1987Single Division
Madison West1988Class A
Madison Memorial1990Class A
Sun Prairie1991Division 1
Madison West1995Division 1
Middleton1997Division 1
Middleton1998Division 1
Middleton1999Division 1
Madison La Follette2003Division 1
Middleton2011Division 1

SchoolYearDivision
Madison Memorial1986Single Division
Madison Memorial1987Single Division
Madison West1988Single Division
Madison West1991Single Division
Madison West1999Division 1
Madison West2000Division 1
Middleton2006Division 1
Verona2010Division 1
Madison West2012Division 1

SchoolYearDivision
Racine Park1931Single Division
Madison West1948Single Division

SchoolYearDivision
Madison Memorial1972Class A
Madison Memorial1973Class A
Madison West1974Class A
Madison West1975Class A
Madison East1977Class A
Madison Memorial1977Class A
Madison Memorial1979Class A
Madison West1980Class A
Madison West1981Class A
Madison West1982Class A
Madison West1985Class A
Middleton1997Division 1
Middleton1998Division 1
Madison Memorial2003Division 1

List of conference champions

Football