Membership Timeline
The Northern Wisconsin Conference is a former high school athletic conference in north central Wisconsin. The conference only existed for one season (1955-1956), and all members were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The origin of the Northern Wisconsin Conference lies in the competitive imbalance that developed in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The WVC was formed in 1921 [1] and is one of the oldest conferences still operating in Wisconsin. It consisted of the largest high schools in the north central part of the state, and Wausau High School was widely considered the most powerful school in the conference from an athletic standpoint. Their football program, led by Hall of Fame coach Win Brockmeyer, [2] had produced numerous conference championships, a record 46-game winning streak, two Hall of Fame players (Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch and Jim Otto) and a Heisman Trophy winner (Bruce Smith, Minnesota, 1941). The smaller schools found it difficult to compete, and by the early 1950s, schools like Nekoosa and Tomahawk began to leave the WVC to seek out more competitive options elsewhere. [3]
In 1955, the four smallest schools in the Wisconsin Valley Conference (Antigo, Marshfield, Merrill and Rhinelander) left to form the Northern Wisconsin Conference. [4] [5] The three remaining schools (Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln) continued interscholastic competition under the WVC banner, and the Northern Wisconsin Conference schools continued to schedule Lincoln and Stevens Point as regular non-conference opponents. [6] The four NWC schools excluded Wausau from any athletic competition, and scheduling became difficult due to their size. In 1956, Wausau joined with four other large high schools (Eau Claire, La Crosse Central, Marinette and Menominee (Michigan)) to form the Big Rivers Conference, [7] and the two remaining WVC schools (Lincoln and Stevens Point) rejoined with the four NWC schools to reform the Wisconsin Valley Conference. [8]
| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigo | Antigo, WI | Public | 687 | Red Robins | 1955 [4] | 1956 [8] | Wisconsin Valley | Great Northern | |
| Marshfield | Marshfield, WI | Public | 1,250 | Tigers | 1955 [4] | 1956 [8] | Wisconsin Valley | ||
| Merrill | Merrill, WI | Public | 801 | Bluejays | 1955 [4] | 1956 [8] | Wisconsin Valley [a] | ||
| Rhinelander | Rhinelander, WI | Public | 747 | Hodags | 1955 [4] | 1956 [8] | Wisconsin Valley | Great Northern | |
Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,013. Its county seat is Wausau. It was founded in 1850, created from a portion of Portage County. At that time the county stretched to the northern border with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is named after the battlefield at Marathon, Greece.
Winfred Otto Brockmeyer was an American football coach from Mankato, Minnesota.
The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point is a public university in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, United States. Established in 1894, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System. UW-Stevens Point grants associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees, as well as doctoral degrees in audiology, educational sustainability, and physical therapy. The 406-acre (164 ha) main campus includes the 280-acre (113 ha) Schmeeckle Reserve, 15 academic buildings, and 13 residence halls. UWSP also has two branch campuses located in Wausau and Marshfield.
WJFW-TV is a television station licensed to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, United States, serving the Wausau area as an affiliate of NBC. The station is owned by Rockfleet Broadcasting and maintains studios on County Road G in Rhinelander. WJFW-TV is broadcast from a primary transmitter in Starks, Wisconsin, and translator W27AU-D on Mosinee Hill, serving the immediate Wausau area.
Area codes 715 and 534 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The numbering plan area (NPA) comprises most of the northern part of the state. 715 was one of the original North American area codes created in 1947, while 534 was added in 2010 as an additional code for the same numbering plan area to form an overlay plan.
The Wisconsin Valley Conference is a high school athletic conference composed of the largest public schools in north central Wisconsin. Founded in 1921, it is one of Wisconsin's oldest athletic conferences, and all members belong to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
Wisconsin's 7th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northwestern and central Wisconsin; it is the largest congressional district in the state geographically, covering 20 counties, for a total of 18,787 sq mi. The district contains the following counties: Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, St. Croix, Chippewa (partial), Clark, Douglas, Florence, Forest, Iron, Jackson (partial), Juneau (partial), Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Monroe (partial), Oneida, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, Vilas, Washburn, and Wood (partial).
Wausau East High School is a public secondary school in Wausau, Wisconsin. It serves grades 9-12 for the Wausau School District.
Samoset Council is a Boy Scout council headquartered in Rhinelander, Wisconsin that serves north central Wisconsin. Founded in 1920, the council gets its name from an early Boy Scout camp in the Town of Harrison named Camp Sam-O-Set. The council is served by Tom Kita Chara Lodge of the Order of the Arrow.
The Big Rivers Conference is a high school athletic conference consisting of large high schools in western Wisconsin. Formed in 1956, its member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The Badger Conference is a high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in south central Wisconsin. Established in 1952, the Badger Conference is a member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The Wisconsin Valley Library Service (WVLS) is a library system made up of 25 public libraries and hundreds of non-public libraries across seven counties in north-central Wisconsin. These include the counties of Clark, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, and Taylor. The WVLS offices are located in the headquarters of the Marathon County Public Library in Wausau, Wisconsin.
WRIG is a radio station broadcasting a sports format licensed to Schofield, Wisconsin, United States, and serving the Wausau area. The station is currently owned by Midwest Communications and features programming from Fox Sports Radio. It is also broadcast on FM translator W230BU at 93.9 MHz.
WSAU is an AM radio station broadcasting a conservative talk format serving Wausau, Wisconsin, United States, area, and simulcast on WSAU-FM (99.9) in Stevens Point. The station is owned by Wausau-based Midwest Communications, with studios on Scott Street. The WSAU transmitter is located along County Highway X in Kronenwetter, Wisconsin.
The Great Northern Conference is a high school athletic conference in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. It comprises seven teams from Marathon, Taylor, Lincoln, Oneida, Langlade and Vilas counties in Northern Wisconsin. The Conference was formed in 2008 with former Lumberjack members Lakeland, Medford, Northland Pines and Tomahawk, Cloverbelt member Mosinee, and Wisconsin Valley's Antigo and Merrill. In 2010, Merrill returned to the Wisconsin Valley conference and Rhinelander took its place. In December 2023 Merrill had filed a request within the WIAA Conference Realignment process to move the school back to the Great Northern Conference. Merrill has cited declining enrollment as its top reason. This change was approved by the WIAA Conference Realignment Committee in December 2023 with it being effective for the 2025-2026 school year.
The 2000 United States presidential election in Wisconsin took place on November 7, 2000, and was part of the 2000 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The Valley Football Association (VFA) is a football-only athletic conference comprising fifteen high schools located within northeastern and central Wisconsin. The conference was formed in 2010, when the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association merged the Fox Valley Association (FVA) and Wisconsin Valley Conference (WVC). The merger was a result of the WVC having difficulty scheduling football games due to only having six active football participants at the time. The first season of play was 2011.
The Central Wisconsin Conference is a high school athletic conference comprising twenty-one high schools in three divisions in central Wisconsin. Founded in 1926, the conference and its member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The Lumberjack Conference is a former high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in north central Wisconsin. Originating as a football-only conference in 1946, the Lumberjack Conference competed as an all-sport conference from 1953 to 2008. All member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.