History
1973-1978
The Classic Conference was founded in 1973 by seven private high schools in southeastern Wisconsin: Central Wisconsin Christian in Waupun, de Sales Prep in St. Francis, Notre Dame in Milwaukee, Sheboygan Christian, St. Bonaventure in Sturtevant, St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield and University Lake School in Hartland. [1] Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure were previously part of the Milwaukee Catholic Conference, and the other five schools were independents at the time of the Classic Conference’s formation. [2] SJMA would only spend one season in the conference before joining the Midwest Prep Conference in 1974, and they were replaced by Maranatha Baptist Academy in Watertown. [3] Shoreland Lutheran in Somers joined in 1975, [4] and Brookfield Academy became members of the Classic Conference in 1976. [5] They swapped affiliations with Maranatha Baptist Academy, who left to join the Indian Trails Conference. [6] Kettle Moraine Lutheran in Jackson joined as full members in 1977 after becoming members in girls’ sports the year prior. [7] The Prairie School in Wind Point also joined the conference, bringing membership in the Classic Conference to ten schools. [8] This was KML’s first conference affiliation after opening a few years earlier, while The Prairie School came over from the Indian Trails Conference.
1978-1983
De Sales Preparatory Seminary closed its doors in 1979, and were immediately replaced by another Catholic seminary, St. Lawrence in Mount Calvary. Winnebago Lutheran Academy in Fond du Lac also joined the conference that year, bringing the roster to eleven members. [9] Both schools were previously members of the Bay-Lakes Conference, which had disbanded the season before. In 1981, University Lake School left the Classic Conference [10] to compete as an independent for one season prior to the formation of the Southern Wisconsin and Illinois Small Schools (SWISS) Conference in 1982. [11] Sheboygan Lutheran joined the Classic Conference to take ULS’s place. [12] The eleven schools would compete until 1983, when a merger agreement was reached with the Midwest Prep Conference. [13] All but two schools in the conference joined the new Midwest Classic Conference for the 1983-84 school year, with Brookfield Academy competing as an independent before entering the SWISS Conference in 1984 and St. Bonaventure High School closing its doors after over eighty years of operation. [14]
