# Big Rivers Conference

The Big Rivers Conference is a high school athletic conference consisting of large high schools in western Wisconsin. Formed in 1956, its member schools are affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

## History
### Formation and Early Years (1956-1989)

The Big Rivers Conference was formed by five large high schools in northern and western Wisconsin. Four long-time independents (Eau Claire, La Crosse Central, Marinette and Menominee (MI)) joined with Wausau, who was forced out of the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The twin cities of Marinette and Menominee left the conference in 1963, primarily due to travel issues and lack of competitiveness in basketball. The two exiting schools were replaced by four newcomers: Chippewa Falls from the disbanded Mississippi Valley Conference, the newly opened Eau Claire North, and two former independents in La Crosse Logan and Menomonie. The conference added an eighth member in 1970 when Wausau High School split into Wausau East and the new Wausau West High School. The two Wausau high schools would go back to the Wisconsin Valley Conference in 1973, and membership stayed consistent until realignment in the late 1980s.

### Present Day (1989-present)

In 1989, the two La Crosse high schools (Central and Logan) left the Big Rivers Conference to become charter members of the new Mississippi Valley Conference, along with other schools that were geographically closer than the Eau Claire-area schools. Two schools from the Middle Border Conference (Hudson and River Falls) and one from the Heart O'North Conference (Rice Lake) took the place of the La Crosse high schools and made for a smaller geographic footprint for the Big Rivers. New Richmond briefly joined the Big Rivers in 1998 from the Middle Border Conference, which they returned to after a four-year stint. That same year, Superior became a football-only member of the Big Rivers Conference. New Richmond would return to the Big Rivers in 2020, first as a football-only member and then as a full member in 2021.

## List of Member Schools
### Current members

| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Joined |
| Chippewa Falls | Chippewa Falls, WI | Public | 1,454 | Cardinals | 1963 |
| Eau Claire Memorial | Eau Claire, WI | Public | 1,589 | Old Abes | 1956 |
| Eau Claire North | Eau Claire, WI | Public | 1,720 | Huskies | 1963 |
| Hudson | Hudson, WI | Public | 1,800 | Raiders | 1989 |
| Menomonie | Menomonie, WI | Public | 1,022 | Mustangs | 1963 |
| New Richmond | New Richmond, WI | Public | 1,112 | Tigers | 1998, 2021 |
| Rice Lake | Rice Lake, WI | Public | 714 | Warriors | 1989 |
| River Falls | River Falls, WI | Public | 1,114 | Wildcats | 1989 |

#### Notes

* ↑ Left for Middle Border Conference in 2002, returned to Big Rivers Conference in 2021

### Football-Only Members

| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Primary Conference |
| Superior | Superior, WI | Public | 1,308 | Spartans | | 2002 | Lake Superior (MSHSL) |

### Former Members

| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
| La Crosse Central | La Crosse, WI | Public | 1,029 | RiverHawks | 1956 | 1989 | Mississippi Valley | Mississippi Valley |
| Marinette | Marinette, WI | Public | 623 | Marines | 1956 | 1963 | None (independent) | North Eastern |
| Menominee | Menominee, MI | Public | 353 | Maroons | 1956 | 1963 | N/A | Great Northern UP |
| Wausau East | Wausau, WI | Public | 948 | Lumberjacks | 1956 | 1973 | Wisconsin Valley | Wisconsin Valley |
| La Crosse Logan | La Crosse, WI | Public | 738 | Rangers | 1963 | 1989 | Mississippi Valley | Mississippi Valley |
| Wausau West | Wausau, WI | Public | 1,535 | Warriors | 1970 | 1973 | Wisconsin Valley | Wisconsin Valley |

#### Notes

* ↑ Known as Wausau High School prior to 1970

## List of State Champions
### Fall Sports

Boys Cross Country :
| School | Year | Division |
| Wausau | 1957 | Large Schools |
| La Crosse Central | 1977 | Class A |
Girls Cross Country :
| School | Year | Division |
| La Crosse Central | 1985 | Class A |
| La Crosse Central | 1988 | Class A |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 2014 | Division 1 |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 2015 | Division 1 |
Football :
| School | Year | Division |
| Menomonie | 1993 | Division 2 |
| Menomonie | 1995 | Division 2 |
| Menomonie | 1997 | Division 2 |
| Menomonie | 1999 | Division 2 |
| Menomonie | 2002 | Division 2 |
| Rice Lake | 2017 | Division 3 |

### Winter Sports

Boys Basketball :
| School | Year | Division |
| Wausau | 1960 | Single Division |
| Rice Lake | 1993 | Division 2 |
Girls Basketball :
| School | Year | Division |
| Hudson | 1998 | Division 1 |
| Hudson | 2002 | Division 1 |
Curling :
| School | Year | Division |
| Wausau | 1959 | Single Division |
| Wausau | 1967 | Single Division |
Gymnastics :
| School | Year | Division |
| La Crosse Central | 1984 | Class A |
| River Falls | 2002 | Division 2 |
| River Falls | 2003 | Division 2 |
| River Falls | 2004 | Division 2 |
| River Falls | 2007 | Division 2 |
| River Falls | 2010 | Division 2 |
| River Falls | 2013 | Division 2 |
Boys Ice Hockey :
| School | Year | Division |
| Menomonie | 1991 | Single Division |
| Hudson | 2001 | Single Division |
| Hudson | 2004 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 2008 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 2013 | Single Division |
| Hudson | 2017 | Single Division |
| Hudson | 2018 | Single Division |
| Hudson | 2021 | Division 1 |
| Hudson | 2022 | Division 1 |
| Rice Lake | 2022 | Division 2 |
| New Richmond | 2023 | Division 2 |
Girls Ice Hockey :
| School | Year | Division |
| Hudson | 2002 | Single Division |
| Hudson | 2003 | Single Division |
| River Falls/St. Croix Central | 2009 | Single Division |
| River Falls/St. Croix Central | 2010 | Single Division |
| River Falls/St. Croix Central | 2011 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 2018 | Single Division |
| Chippewa Falls/McDonell/Menomonie | 2021 | Single Division |
Boys Skiing :
| School | Year | Division |
| Wausau | 1958 | Single Division |
| Wausau | 1959 | Single Division |
| Wausau | 1960 | Single Division |
| Wausau | 1961 | Single Division |
| Wausau | 1962 | Single Division |
| La Crosse Central | 1969 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 1970 | Single Division |
| La Crosse Central | 1974 | Single Division |
| La Crosse Central | 1975 | Single Division |

### Spring Sports

Baseball :
| School | Year | Division |
| Eau Claire | 1957 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire | 1958 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire | 1961 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire | 1962 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 1964 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 1966 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 1968 | Single Division |
| La Crosse Logan | 1971 | Single Division |
| La Crosse Central | 1978 | Class A |
| La Crosse Central | 1986 | Class A |
| Eau Claire North | 2011 | Division 1 |
| Eau Claire North | 2019 | Division 1 |
Boys Golf :
| School | Year | Division |
| Eau Claire | 1959 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 1974 | Single Division |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 1977 | Single Division |
| New Richmond | 1999 | Division 2 |
| River Falls | 2002 | Division 1 |
| River Falls | 2004 | Division 1 |
| River Falls | 2005 | Division 1 |
| Eau Claire Memorial | 2022 | Division 1 |
Softball :
| School | Year | Division |
| Menomonie | 1983 | Class A |
| Rice Lake | 2004 | Division 2 |
| Chippewa Falls | 2012 | Division 1 |
| Rice Lake | 2017 | Division 2 |
Boys Track & Field :
| School | Year | Division |
| La Crosse Central | 1963 | Class A |
| Rice Lake | 2018 | Division 2 |
Girls Track & Field :
| School | Year | Division |
| Hudson | 2007 | Division 1 |
| Rice Lake | 2024 | Division 2 |