Northern Illinois Conference (athletic conference)

The Northern Illinois Conference (NIC-10) is a high school athletic conference consisting of nine high public schools and one Catholic school in Illinois' Boone, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties. Member schools are also full members of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), and are among the larger schools in that area, all competing in Class AA (in the two class system) of IHSA competitions.

Members

* Depending on the sport/activity, schools compete in a two class, three class, or four class system. The classes are listed in that order in this table.

History

The conference was originally founded as the Big 7 in 1919 and included Freeport, Rockford Central High School, Joliet High School, Elgin, DeKalb High School, Aurora East High School, and Aurora West. DeKalb left in 1929, and was replaced by LaSalle-Peru High School. In 1940, Rockford High School became Rockford West High School, with the opening of Rockford East High School (and the conference naturally became the Big 8). In 1960, Joliet High School left and newly constructed Auburn High School replaced them. In 1963, Aurora East, Aurora West, and Elgin High School departed, and were immediately replaced by Harlem High School, Belvidere High School, and the newly opened Guilford High School. 1964 saw LaSalle-Peru leave and Boylan Catholic High School join. The addition of Jefferson High School in 1971 forced the conference to change their name to the Big 9.

In 1982, Hononegah High School joined the conference, and the conference was renamed the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC-10). When Rockford West High School was closed after the 1988–89 school year, the conference became the NIC-9, returning to the NIC-10 when Belvidere North opened in 2007.^[11]

State championships

49 IHSA State Championships have been earned by the conference membership:

• Basketball (boys): Joliet Township (1936–37); Elgin (1923–24, 24–25); Rockford High School (1938–39); Rockford West (1954–55, 55–56); Freeport (1925–26, 50–51)^[12]
• Bowling (boys): Jefferson (2002–03); Freeport (2007–08); Guilford (2010-11)^[13]
• Bowling (girls): Harlem (1999–2000, 00–01, 01–02, 04–05, 10-11); Rockford East (1996–97); Jefferson (2007–08)^[14]
• Chess: Auburn (1991–92, 92–93); Jefferson (1990–91)^[15]
• Cross Country (boys): Belvidere North (2009–10, 10-11)^[16]
• Cross Country (girls): Guilford (1981–82)^[17]
• Field Hockey (girls): Rockford West (1975–76)^[18]
• Football: Belvidere (1993–94, 94–95); Rockford East (1974–75, 85–86); Guilford (1982–83); Boylan (2010-11)^[19]
• Golf (boys): Rockford East (1941–42, 42–43, 43–44, 44–45, 46–47, 56–57); Rockford West (1940–41); Guilford (1974–75, 75–76, 83–84, 85–86); Boylan (2002-03)^[20]
• Golf (girls): Guilford (1994–95)^[21]
• Journalism: Jefferson (2006-07)
• Scholastic Bowl: Auburn (2007–08)^[22]
• Soccer (boys): Boylan (2010-11)
• Softball: Harlem (1979–80, 98–99)^[23]
• Swimming & Diving (boys): Rockford High School (1932–33)^[24]
• Track & Field (boys): Rockford High School (1926–27, 32–33, 34–35)^[25]

References