Indiana High School Football Conferences

As the popularity of football in the state grew, Indiana high schools emulated their older collegiate brothers in several ways, one of which was by forming athletic conferences. Generally, the conferences would be made up of schools in the same geographic area, and would award championships, name all-conference teams and help in the scheduling of games.

The first conference our research has found was the Big Four Athletic and Oratorical Association, founded by Linton, Princeton, Vincennes and Washington in 1904.

Probably the next organization was the old Wabash Valley league, which began around 1915. Another loop was organized by the Evansville Press, called the Tiny Ten, though it was unofficial and set up by the newspaper, as the Wabash Valley may also have been.

The oldest league still in existence is the North Central Conference. It was organized for basketball in 1926, but did not sponsor football until 1931. The first football exclusive conference was the Indiana High School Football Conference, a collection of the ten biggest programs from across the Hoosier State.

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL CONFERENCES (first season)

DISBANDED CONFERENCES (start to end)