Membership timeline
The 3-C Conference is a former high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in central Wisconsin. Founded in 1928 and ending operations in 1962, all members were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The 3-C Conference, originally known as the Tri-County Basketball Conference for its first sponsored sport, [1] was formed in 1928 by seven small high schools in central Wisconsin: Abbotsford, Colby, Dorchester, Granton, Greenwood, Neillsville, and Unity [2] (not to be confused with the Unity High School that was later opened in Balsam Lake). An eighth school (Loyal) was part of this initial group, [3] but wouldn't join in athletic competition until a few years later. The conference's name originated with the three counties that member schools were located in (Clark, Marathon and Taylor). Rib Lake and Spencer joined the 3-C Conference in 1929, [4] and Medford became its tenth member in 1930 [5] after leaving the Wisconsin Valley Conference a few years earlier. [6] Spencer would leave the next year with Loyal entering competition, [7] and in 1932, Neillsville departed for membership in the Little Eight Conference. [8]
In 1933, Westboro entered the 3-C Conference, and the conference split into geographically aligned sections: [9]
| Northern Section | Southern Section |
|---|---|
| Abbotsford | Colby |
| Dorchester | Granton |
| Medford | Greenwood |
| Rib Lake | Loyal |
| Westboro | Unity |
Spencer reentered the 3-C Conference in 1934 and were assigned to the conference's Southern Section. [10] In 1935, Loyal left the conference and were replaced by Prentice High School in Price County, entering the league's Northern Section. [11] Despite the addition of a fourth county to the membership stable, the 3-C Conference kept its name. Loyal rejoined the 3-C Conference's Southern Section in 1938, [12] bringing membership back up to twelve schools. Prentice's membership lasted until the middle of World War II, [13] and the conference went back down to eleven schools until Phillips joined the loop's Northern Section in 1949. [14] Unity High School was consolidated into Colby in 1954, [15] leaving the conference with eleven members.
In 1955, Medford and Phillips left the 3-C Conference to become exclusive members of the Lumberjack Conference [16] after having dual affiliation the past two years. [17] [18] Membership decreased to eight schools in 1961 when Abbotsford and Dorchester merged, [19] and divisional play was discontinued as well. [20] The 3-C Conference played its last game in 1962, with four members (Colby, Dor-Abby, Greenwood and Loyal) joining the Cloverbelt Conference, two members (Granton and Greenwood) becoming members of the Marawood Conference, and two entered the Flambeauland Conference (Rib Lake and Westboro). [21]
| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbotsford | Abbotsford, WI | Public | 244 | Panthers | 1928 [2] | 1961 [19] | 3-C (merged into Dor-Abby) | Marawood | |
| Colby | Colby, WI | Public | 309 | Hornets | 1928 [2] | 1962 [21] | Cloverbelt | ||
| Dorchester | Dorchester, WI | Public | N/A | Red Devils | 1928 [2] | 1961 [19] | 3-C (merged into Dor-Abby) | Merger dissolved in 1964, became Abbotsford | |
| Granton | Granton, WI | Public | 62 | Bulldogs | 1928 [2] | 1962 [21] | Marawood | Cloverbelt | |
| Greenwood | Greenwood, WI | Public | 112 | Indians | 1928 [2] | 1962 [21] | Cloverbelt | ||
| Neillsville | Neillsville, WI | Public | 269 | Warriors | 1928 [2] | 1932 [8] | Little Eight | Cloverbelt | |
| Unity | Unity, WI | Public | N/A | Warriors | 1928 [2] | 1954 [15] | Closed (consolidated into Colby) | ||
| Rib Lake | Rib Lake, WI | Public | 132 | Redmen | 1929 [4] | 1962 [21] | Flambeauland | Marawood | |
| Spencer | Spencer, WI | Public | 220 | Rockets | 1929, [4] 1934 [10] | 1931, [7] 1962 [21] | Independent, Marawood | Cloverbelt | |
| Medford | Medford, WI | Public | 738 | Raiders | 1930 [5] | 1955 [17] | Lumberjack | Great Northern | |
| Loyal | Loyal, WI | Public | 163 | Greyhounds | 1931, [7] 1938 [12] | 1935, [11] 1962 [21] | Cloverbelt | ||
| Westboro | Westboro, WI | Public | N/A | Trojans | 1933 [9] | 1962 [21] | Flambeauland | Closed in 1967 (consolidated into Rib Lake) | |
| Prentice | Prentice, WI | Public | 122 | Buccaneers | 1935 [11] | 1943 [13] | Independent | Marawood | |
| Phillips | Phillips, WI | Public | 217 | Loggers | 1949 [14] | 1955 [17] | Lumberjack | Marawood | |
| Dor-Abby | Abbotsford, WI | Public | N/A | Falcons | 1961 [19] | 1962 [21] | Cloverbelt | Merger dissolved in 1964, became Abbotsford | |