Northern Indiana Athletic Conference

Northern Indiana Athletic Conference (NIAC)
Established	1927
Members	7 Class 4A, 2 Class 3A
Region	North Central Indiana
Locations
Northern Indiana Athletic Conference locationsThe Northern Indiana Conference in Indiana. Current Areas are in red, Former Areas are in Maroon

About

The Northern Indiana Conference is a high school athletic conference that was founded in 1927 and spanned from as far West as Hammond and Gary to South Bend/Mishawaka and Elkhart to the East and South to Plymouth. Since its start in 1927, a total of 32 separate schools have at one time called the NIC home. From its inception until 1963, the conference had been divided into East and West divisions. The West Division (as well as Valparaiso) left to form the Northwestern Conference in 1963. With membership dwindling to 7 members by the 1970s, the conference added former members of the Northern Indiana Valley Conference to its ranks. Currently, every former NIVC member is now a part of the NIC except for South Bend Jackson, which closed in 1973, and South Bend LaSalle, which joined the NIC in 1977, but closed in 2001.

Like the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference, the NIAC was also a superconference that spanned several counties, and a lot of driving miles, for a period between 1940 and 1965. Throughout the 1970s the membership dwindled as many schools left to form new conferences. From 1995 to 2015 the two conferences share the same setup with 7 or 8 schools in one county, 8 in this case from St. Joseph County and 1 from an adjacent county, Elkhart in this case. This will change in 2015, as four schools from the folding [[Northern State Conference {IHSAA}|Northern State Conference]] will join, making a 13 school conference. This will also expand the conference footprint into two counties formerly represented in the NIAC: LaPorte (last represented in 1995) and Marshall (last represented in 1930).

Sponsored Sports

Boys

Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling

Girls

Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Gymnastics, Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball

Current members

School	Location	Mascot	Colors	County	Enrollment IHSAA Class	Joined	Previous Conference
Bremen	Bremen	Lions		50 Marshall	485 AA	2015	Northern State
Elkhart Central1	Elkhart	Blue Blazers		20 Elkhart	1747 AAAA	1927	Independents
Jimtown	Elkhart	Jimmies		20 Elkhart	586 AAA	2015	Northern State
John Glenn	Walkerton	Falcons		71 St. Joseph	625 AAA	2015	Northern State
Mishawaka	Mishawaka	Cavemen		71 St. Joseph	1761 AAAA	1927	Independents
Mishawaka Marian	Mishawaka	Knights		71 St. Joseph	768 AAA	2005	Independents
New Prairie	New Carlisle	Cougars		46 LaPorte	865 AAAA	2015	Northern State
Penn	Mishawaka	Kingsmen		71 St. Joseph	3222 AAAAAA	1977	Independents
South Bend Adams	South Bend	Eagles		71 St. Joseph	1773 AAAAA	1941	none (new school)
South Bend Clay	South Bend	Colonials		71 St. Joseph	1466 AAAA	1979	Independents
South Bend Riley	South Bend	Wildcats		71 St. Joseph	1511 AAAA	1931	none (new school)
South Bend St. Joseph2	South Bend	Indians		71 St. Joseph	793 AAA	2005	Independents
South Bend Washington	South Bend	Panthers		71 St. Joseph	1428 AAAA	1938	none (new school)

1. Elkhart Central was known as Elkhart until 1972.
2. South Bend St. Joseph was known as South Bend St. Joseph's until 2012.

Former members

School	Location	Mascot	Colors	County	Joined	Previous Conference	Left	Conference joined
East Chicago Washington1	East Chicago	Senators		45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Gary Emerson	Gary	Golden Tornadoes		45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Gary Froebel	Gary	Blue Devils		45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Gary Mann	Gary	Horsemen		45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Goshen	Goshen	Redskins		20 Elkhart	1927	Independents	1969	Independents
Hammond	Hammond	Wildcats		45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
La Porte	LaPorte	Slicers		46 La Porte	1927	Independents	1976	Duneland
Michigan City Elston2	Michigan City	Red Devils		46 La Porte	1927	Independents	1995	none (consolidated into Michigan City)
Plymouth	Plymouth	Pilgrims		50 Marshall	1927	Independents	1930	Independents
South Bend Central3	South Bend	Bears		71 St. Joseph	1927	Independents	1970	none (school closed)
Valparaiso	Valparaiso	Vikings		64 Porter	1927 1945 1953	Independents Independents Independents	1930 1948 1963	Independents Independents Northwestern
Whiting	Whiting	Oilers		45 Lake	1927	Independents	1963	Northwestern
East Chicago Roosevelt	East Chicago	Rough Riders		45 Lake	1929	Little 7	1963	Northwestern
Gary Wallace	Gary	Hornets		45 Lake	1935	Little 7	1963	Northwestern
Hammond Tech	Hammond	Tigers		45 Lake	1937	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Gary Tolleston	Gary	Blue Raiders		45 Lake	1941	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Hammond Clark	Hammond	Pioneers		45 Lake	1941	Independents	1963	Northwestern
Fort Wayne North Side4	Fort Wayne	Redskins		02 Allen	1942	Ft. Wayne City Series	1965	Ft. Wayne City Series
Elkhart Memorial5	Elkhart	Crimson Chargers		20 Elkhart	1972	Northern Indiana Conference	2000	Northern Lakes
South Bend LaSalle	South Bend	Lions		71 St. Joseph	1977	Independents	2001	none (school closed)

1. East Chicago Washington was known as East Chicago until 1928.
2. Michigan City Elston was known as Michigan City until 1972.
3. South Bend Central was known as South Bend until 1930.
4. Fort Wayne North Side played concurrently in the NIC and FWCS their entire membership in the NIC.
5. Elkhart Memorial played concurrently in the NIC and NLC for the 1999-2000 school year.

Membership timeline

Rivalries

Main rivalries:

• Clay Colonials vs. Washington Panthers
• Penn Kingsmen vs. Mishawaka Cavemen
• St. Joseph Indians vs. Marian Knights
• Elkhart Central Blue Blazers vs. Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers*
• Riley Wildcats vs. Adams Eagles

Notable sub-rivalries

• Riley vs. Clay
• Adams vs. Clay
• St. Joseph vs. Penn
• Riley vs. Marian
• Penn vs. Elkhart Memorial*
• Penn vs. Fort Wayne Snider*
• Marian vs. Mishawaka
• St. Joseph vs. Clay
• Mishawaka vs. Washington
• Marian vs. Penn (baseball only)
• St. Joseph vs. Culver Military Academy (hockey and lacrosse only)*°
• Mishawaka vs. Clay (football only)
• Mishawaka vs. Adams (Basketball)

(Asterisk indicates non-member of NIAC)

(Degree indicates a non-NIAC sanctioned sport)

State Championships

Bremen (2)

• 1989 Football (A)
• 1994 Football (2A)

Elkhart Central (6)

• 1968 Wrestling
• 1969 Boys Track
• 1973 Boys Cross Country
• 1979 Boys Golf
• 1993 Boys Track
• 2012 Baseball

Jimtown (6)

• 1974 Boys Gymnastics
• 1991 Football (A)
• 1997 Football (2A)
• 1998 Football (2A)
• 2004 Boys Basketball (2A)
• 2005 Football (2A)

Mishawaka (7)

• 1946 Boys Cross Country
• 1980 Volleyball
• 1983 Volleyball
• 1988 Volleyball
• 1991 Wrestling
• 2008 Wrestling
• 2010 Wrestling

Mishawaka Marian (10)

• 1973 Volleyball
• 1973 Football (A)
• 1975 Football (2A)
• 1976 Football (2A)
• 2001 Boys Golf
• 1999 Boys Hockey
• 2001 Boys Hockey
• 2010 Boys Hockey
• 2012 Girls Soccer (A)
• 2015 Boys Soccer (A)

Penn (19)

• 1983 Football (4A)
• 1994 Baseball
• 1994 Girls Golf
• 1995 Football (5A)
• 1996 Football (5A)
• 1997 Football (5A)
• 1998 Baseball (4A)
• 1999 Softball (3A)
• 1999 Boys Soccer
• 2000 Football (5A)
• 2001 Baseball (4A)
• 2002 Girls Golf
• 2004 Girls Golf
• 2005 Girls Golf
• 2010 Volleyball (4A)
• 2011 Volleyball (4A)
• 2015 Wrestling
• 2015 Baseball (4A)
• 2016 Girls Basketball (4A)

South Bend Adams (8)

• 1966 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1966 Wrestling
• 1967 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1968 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1973 Boys Golf
• 1974 Boys Tennis
• 1976 Volleyball
• 1978 Volleyball

South Bend Clay (2)

• 1970 Baseball
• 1994 Boys Basketball

South Bend Riley (10)

• 1938 Boys Golf
• 1956 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1957 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1958 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1962 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1962 Boys Golf
• 1964 Boys Golf
• 1978 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1986 Boys Swimming & Diving
• 1995 Boys Swimming & Diving

South Bend St. Joseph (8)

• 1972 Volleyball
• 1975 Girls Tennis
• 1995 Football (3A)
• 1998 Girls Soccer
• 2003 Boys Soccer
• 2005 Girls Basketball (3A)
• 2010 Girls Tennis
• 2010 Girls Soccer

South Bend Washington (2)

• 1973 Football (3A)
• 2007 Girls Basketball (4A)

See also

• Hoosier Hysteria
• Largest high school gyms in the United States

Related links

• Northern Indiana Football History
• Indiana High School Athletic Association
• List of high school athletic conferences in Indiana
• Indiana big school football champions

Conference Champions

• Basketball Champions
• Football Champions