The Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) was a high school athletic conference serving members of the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The LAC existed in multiple guises from the fall of 1993 through the spring of 2007, at which time it comprised sixteen member high schools. The conference took its name from all its early members being located in Lake County, Indiana
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The origins of the Lake Athletic Conference can be traced to the Indiana Lake Shore Conference. The Indiana Lake Shore Conference was formed in 1969 by city schools in East Chicago, Hammond, and Whiting, Indiana. These eight schools were: East Chicago Roosevelt, East Chicago Washington, Hammond High, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, Hammond Morton, Hammond Tech, and Whiting High. In 1973 Whiting left the conference in football but remained a member in other sports. The league added Bishop Noll Institute, a Catholic school located in Hammond. Hammond Tech was closed in 1981. In 1986 EC Roosevelt and EC Washington were merged to form East Chicago Central; this new school departed the Lake Shore Conference the following year.
The members of the Lake Shore Conference were joined by four members of the recently disbanded Lake Suburban Conference in the fall of 1993. The growth of Crown Point and Lake Central high schools, and their subsequent departure from the Lake Suburban Conference, left the conference's remaining members looking for a new home. Calumet High School, Griffith Senior High School, Highland High School, and Munster High School merged with the six Indiana Lake Shore Conference members to form the Lake 10 Conference.
For football, the conference was split into two divisions based on enrollment. The larger schools formed the Black Division, while the smaller schools were the Blue Division. The black teams were Bishop Noll, Hammond High, Hammond Morton, Highland, and Munster. The blue teams were Calumet, Griffith, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, and Whiting. As expansion occurred, the divisions were to be used in basketball and baseball as well.
The first expansion took place for the fall of 1998. At this time the conference also changed its name to the Lake Athletic Conference. Former Lake Suburban member Lowell, along with Lake Station, joined from the shuttering Northwest Hoosier Conference. Additionally, Andrean, which had been independent for over twenty years, entered the LAC. Andrean and Lowell joined the Black Division, which changed to also include Griffith, formerly in the Blue Division. This bumped Hammond Morton and Hammond Noll down to the Blue Division, which now also included Lake Station.
Early in 2001 a vote by LAC members allowed for expansion to sixteen teams. This took place going into the 2003-2004 school year. Three schools became members the LAC, setting the roster for its final four years of existence. Joining the Lake Athletic Conference were Hobart, Kankakee Valley, and Wheeler. This growth also expanded membership beyond the boundaries of Lake County; Kankakee Valley is located in Jasper County and Wheeler lies in Porter County.
In 2006 it was announced the LAC would disband following the 2006-'07 school year. The schools would split into three conferences. The Northwest Crossroads Conference comprises Andrean, Griffith, Highland, Hobart, Kankakee Valley, Lowell, and Munster. The Greater South Shore Conference is home to Bishop Noll, Calumet, Lake Station, Wheeler, and Whiting; joining these schools are Michigan City Marquette Catholic, North Newton, and River Forest; and South Central, a member of the Porter County Conference, joined in football only, as Marquette does not have a football team. The Hammond City Schools - Clark, Gavit, Hammond High, and Morton - formed the Great Lakes Athletic Conference, after failing to find acceptance in another conference.
| School | Common Name | Mascot | Location | Year Joined | Current Conference | 2007 Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrean High School | Andrean | Fighting '59ers | Merrillville, Lake County | 1998 | Northwest Crossroads | 671 |
| Griffith Senior High School | Griffith | Panthers | Griffith, Lake County | 1993^ | Northwest Crossroads | 961 |
| Hammond High School | Hammond | Wildcats | Hammond, Lake County | 1993^ | Great Lakes Athletic | 1111 |
| Hobart High School | Hobart | Brickies | Hobart, Lake County | 2003 | Northwest Crossroads | 1249 |
| Highland High School | Highland | Trojans | Highland, Lake County | 1993^ | Northwest Crossroads | 1224 |
| Lowell Senior High School | Lowell | Red Devils | Lowell, Lake County | 1998 | Northwest Crossroads | 1206 |
| Oliver P. Morton Memorial High School | Hammond Morton | Governors | Hammond, Lake County | 1993^ | Great Lakes Athletic | 1159 |
| Munster High School | Munster | Mustangs | Munster, Lake County | 1993^ | Northwest Crossroads | 1637 |
| School | Common Name | Mascot | Location | Year Joined | Current Conference | 2007 Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Noll Institute | Bishop Noll | Warriors | Hammond, Lake County | 1993^ | Greater South Shore | 468 |
| Calumet High School | Calumet | Warriors | Calumet Township, Lake County | 1993^ | Greater South Shore | 647 |
| Donald E Gavit Jr./Sr. High School | Hammond Gavit | Gladiators | Hammond, Lake County | 1993^ | Great Lakes Athletic | 852 |
| George Rogers Clark Jr./Sr. High School | Hammond Clark | Pioneers | Hammond, Lake County | 1993^ | Great Lakes Athletic | 1,017 |
| Kankakee Valley High School | Kankakee Valley | Kougars | Wheatfield, Jasper County | 2003 | Northwest Crossroads | 1185 |
| Thomas A. Edison Junior-Senior High School | Lake Station | Eagles | Lake Station, Lake County | 1998 | Greater South Shore | 426 |
| Wheeler High School | Wheeler | Bearcats | Union Township, Porter County | 2003 | Greater South Shore | 570 |
| Whiting High School | Whiting | Oilers | Whiting, Lake County | 1993^ | Greater South Shore | 289 |
^Charter member of Lake 10