Western Big 6 Conference
The Western Big 6 Conference is a high school conference in western central Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The conference comprises public high schools with large enrollments, as well a private school, in the Illinois Quad Cities, Galesburg, Illinois, and Quincy, Illinois.
Current Membership
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | Enrollment | IHSA Classes 2/3/4[1] | IHSA Music Class[2] | IHSA Football Class[3] | IHSA Cheerleading Class[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alleman High School | Rock Island, IL | Pioneers | 449 (741 Adjusted) |
A/1A/2A | B | 4A | Medium squad | |
| Galesburg High School | Galesburg, IL | Silver Streaks | 1444 | AA/2A/3A | A | 6A | Medium squad | |
| Moline High School | Moline, IL | Maroons | 2243 | AA/3A/4A | AA | 7A | Large squad | |
| Quincy High School | Quincy, IL | Blue Devils | 2051 | AA/3A/4A | AA | 7A | Large Squad | |
| Rock Island High School | Rock Island, IL | Rocks | 1645 | AA/2A/3A | A | 6A | Medium squad | |
| United Township High School | East Moline, IL | Panthers | 1736 | AA/3A/4A | AA | 6A | Medium squad | |
Sources:IHSA Conferences[5] and IHSA Member Schools Directory[6]
History
The Western Big 6 Conference was established in 1969. The conference consisted of four schools from the Quad Cities area, one from Quincy, and one from Galesburg. The charter members were Moline High School, Rock Island High School, Rock Island Alleman High School, United Township High School (East Moline), Quincy Senior High School, and Galesburg High School. Enrollments have ranged from over 2000 students, to Alleman, the league's only private school, with just under 500.[7]
Prior to the advent of the Western Big 6 Conference, the schools of the present day conference are known to have participated in several other conferences:[8]
- Quincy participated in Mississippi Valley Conference from 1922-1923 along with Macomb, Carthage, Fort Madison (IA), Keokuk (IA), and Pittsfield. Quincy also participated in the Tri State Conference from 1932-1935 along with Macomb, Canton (MO), Fort Madison (IA), Hannibal (MO), Keokuk (IA), Kirksville (MO).
- Canton, East Moline, Galesburg, Kewanee, Moline and Rock Island participated in football at various times in the early 1950s under the Northwest Conference (Near) banner. 1956 was the final season for the conference.
- East Moline, Moline and Rock Island participated in the Quad Cities Metro Conference, along with Davenport Central and (after 1960) Davenport West, throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Rock Island Alleman joined in 1969 (as did Davenport Assumption from the Iowa side). The 1977-1978 school year was the last for the competition in this conference.
- Simultaneous with the Quad Cities Metro Conference, East Moline, Moline and Rock Island were members of the Mississippi Valley Conference. In addition to Davenport Central and (after 1960) Davenport West, Iowa schools from Cedar Rapids, Clinton and Dubuque were also part of this conference.
- More of an association than a league or conference for football, the Illini Conference organization featured Bartonville, Limestone, Canton, East Peoria, Galesburg, Kewanee, Pekin, Peoria Richwoods, and Peoria Woodruff at various times in the 1950s and 1960s. The league's members never played a complete round robin schedule in football and most played concurrently in other conferences. The final season for football in the Illini was 1971.
Starting with the 2013 football season, Western Big 6 schools will be part of a 10-team, football-only conference with Peoria-area schools from the Mid-Six Conference. Those schools—Peoria Central, Peoria Manual, Peoria Notre Dame and Peoria Richwoods—will play a round-robin, nine-game schedule with the six Western Big 6 schools.[9]
| School | Years | Consolidations | Conference Came From | State Championships (1969–Present) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alleman High School | 1969–Present | n/a | Unknown | 7 |
| Galesburg High School | 1969–Present | n/a | Illini | 2 |
| Moline High School | 1969–Present | 1952 Coal Valley[10] | Mississippi Valley | 9 |
| Quincy High School | 1969–Present | n/a | Unknown | 9 |
| Rock Island High School | 1969–Present | n/a | Mississippi Valley | 5 |
| United Township High School | 1969–Present | 1920 Silvis[11] | Mississippi Valley | 3 |
Competitive Success
The present day Western Big 6 Conference has won 38 state championships in IHSA sponsored athletics and activities. Through the 2010-2011 season the conference has won Illinois state titles in:[12]
- Boys Baseball (Galesburg 1987-1988)
- Boys Basketball (Quincy 1980-1981; Rock Island 2010-2011)
- Boys Cross Country (Alleman 2004-2005)
- Boys Golf (Galesburg 1971-1972; Quincy 1990-1991)
- Boys Soccer (United Township 1999-2000)
- Boys Tennis (Moline 1992-1993)
- Boys Track and Field (Rock Island 1960-1961, 1988-1989, 1993–1994)
- Boys Wrestling (Rock Island 1966-1967; Moline 1995-1996)
- Chess (Moline 1993-1994, 1994–1995; Rock Island 1977-1978)
- Drama (Rock Island 2008-2009)
- Fishing (Moline 2013-2014)
- Girls Basketball (Alleman 2004-2005)
- Girls Bowling (United Township 1990-1991)
- Girls Golf (Quincy 1976-1977, 1977–1978, 1978–1979)
- Girls Softball (Alleman 1984-85, 1991–92, 1992–1993, 1993–1994, 1997–1998, 2013-2014; Moline 1986-1987, 1987–1988, 1993–1994, 1995–1996, 2005–2006, 2010–2011; Quincy 1977-1978)
- Girls Track and Field (Rock Island 2008-2009; United Township 1976-1977)
- Music Sweepstakes (Moline 1999-2000)
- Scholastic Bowl (Quincy 1986-1987, 1987–1988, 1992–1993)
References
- ↑ http://www.ihsa.org/school/enrolla.htm
- ↑ http://www.ihsa.org/school/enrollments.htm
- ↑ http://www.ihsa.org/activity/fb/2009-10/playoffs.htm
- ↑ http://www.ihsa.org/school/enrollments.htm
- ↑ http://www.ihsa.org/school/conf.htm
- ↑ http://www.ihsa.org/school/index.htm
- ↑ http://streaks.org/athletics/wb6.html
- ↑ http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id349.html
- ↑ Green, Doug, "First and 10: Western Big Six approves football merger," Quad-City Times, Aug. 22, 2012. Accessed 08-22-2012.
- ↑ http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id32.html
- ↑ http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id929.html
- ↑ http://www.ihsa.org/school/index.htm