Tri-County Football Conference

The Tri-County Football Conference is a former high school football conference with its membership concentrated in eastern Wisconsin. Formed in 1934 and competing through the 1944 football season, its member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

The Tri-County Football Conference was founded in 1934 by four small high schools in the Fox Valley region of eastern Wisconsin: Kimberly, Manawa, Marion and Omro. ^[1] All four members belonged to conferences that did not sponsor football, and it was named after the three counties where original member schools were located: Outagamie, Waupaca and Winnebago. For the 1937, Omro left the Tri-County and were replaced by Bear Creek and Pulaski. ^[2] Omro returned in 1938 when Bear Creek exited the conference to compete in six-man football. ^[3] The conference expanded to six members in 1940 with the addition of Waupaca, ^[4] but lost Omro after the 1941 season. Bonduel joined the conference as a replacement for the 1942 season, ^[5] which would turn out to be the conference's high water mark. Pulaski left after the 1943 football season, and Omro rejoined the conference for what would turn out to be its final season in 1944. ^{[6] [7]} After the dissolution of the Tri-County Football Conference, three of its members (Manawa, Marion and Waupaca) joined with Weyauwega to form the Central Wisconsin Conference's first football roster for the 1945 season. ^[8] Omro joined the 7-C Conference for football ^[9] (they were already members for other sports), and Bonduel and Kimberly competed as independents before joining the Mid-Valley Conference in 1946. ^[10]

Conference membership history

School	Location	Affiliation	Enrollment	Mascot	Colors	Seasons	Primary Conference
Kimberly	Kimberly, WI	Public	1,595	Papermakers		1934-1944	Little Nine
Manawa	Manawa, WI	Public	215	Wolves		1934-1944	Central Wisconsin
Marion	Marion, WI	Public	134	Mustangs		1934-1944	Central Wisconsin
Omro	Omro, WI	Public	333	Foxes		1934-1936, 1938-1941, 1944	7-C
Pulaski	Pulaski, WI	Public	1,141	Red Raiders		1937-1943	Independent
Bear Creek	Bear Creek, WI	Public	N/A	Bruins		1937	Little Nine
Waupaca	Waupaca, WI	Public	589	Comets		1940-1944	Central Wisconsin
Bonduel	Bonduel, WI	Public	262	Bears		1942-1944	Marinette & Oconto

Membership timeline

List of conference champions

School	Quantity	Years
Kimberly	7	1934, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942
Marion	2	1936, 1937
Bonduel	1	1944
Pulaski	1	1941
Bear Creek	0
Manawa	0
Omro	0
Waupaca	0

References

1. "Tri-County Gridders Open Season Friday". Appleton Post-Crescent. 20 September 1934. p. 14. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
2. "Kimberly Heads Tri-County Loop". Appleton Post-Crescent. 23 September 1937. p. 18. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
3. "Bear Creek Quits Grid Loop to Play 6-Man Game". Appleton Post-Crescent. 7 January 1938. p. 13. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
4. "Waupaca Joins Tri-County Football Loop; Kimberly Players on All-Star Team". Appleton Post-Crescent. 25 November 1939. p. 13. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
5. "Kimberly Seeks Sixth League Win in Row". Appleton Post-Crescent. 22 October 1942. p. 17. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
6. "36 on Kimberly Gridiron Squad". Appleton Post-Crescent. 12 September 1944. p. 14. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
7. "Kimberly Grid Squad Will Open Season Sept. 18". Appleton Post-Crescent. 20 July 1945. p. 14. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
8. "Manawa Tops Wega, 32 to 0". Appleton Post-Crescent. 16 October 1945. p. 14. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
9. "Omro High Plays at Westfield Tonight". Oshkosh Northwestern. 28 September 1945. p. 9. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
10. "Seven High Schools Plan Mid-Valley Athletic Circuit". Green Bay Press-Gazette. 27 April 1946. p. 9. Retrieved 19 June 2025.