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
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 by the other league members to create greater parity in competition. 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.
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. In 1986, Hudson of the Middle Border Conference and Rice Lake of the Heart O'North Conference joined the Big Rivers Conference as football-only members, attaining full membership three years later along with fellow MBC member River Falls. They replaced the two La Crosse high schools, who became charter members of the Mississippi Valley Conference in 1989. New Richmond briefly joined the Big Rivers in 1998 from the Middle Border Conference, which they returned to after a four-year stint. In football, New Richmond was replaced by Lake Superior Conference members Superior in 2002 after they joined as associate members. New Richmond would return to the Big Rivers in 2020, first as a football-only member and then as a full member in 2021.
Football-only alignment In February 2019, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, the WIAA released a sweeping football-only realignment for Wisconsin to commence with the 2020 football season and run on a two-year cycle. For the first competition cycle, the Big Rivers Conference lost River Falls to the Mississippi Valley Conference, replacing them with New Richmond of the Middle Border Conference. River Falls made their return to the Big Rivers for the 2022-2023 realignment cycle, replacing the departing Rice Lake, who became football-only members of the Middle Border Conference. For the 2024-2025 cycle, both Eau Claire schools joined the Wisconsin Valley Conference as football-only members and were replaced by Rice Lake after being shifted back from the Middle Border Conference. The BRC and WVC also entered into a scheduling partnership where each member would play a mandatory crossover game that would count towards their conference's standings. This alignment is set to remain in place through at least the 2026-2027 competition cycle.
List of member schools
Current full members SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsJoinedChippewa FallsChippewa Falls, WIPublic1,408Cardinals 1963Eau Claire MemorialEau Claire, WIPublic1,584Old Abes 1956Eau Claire NorthEau Claire, WIPublic1,629Huskies 1963HudsonHudson, WIPublic1,690Raiders 1989MenomonieMenomonie, WIPublic970Mustangs 1963New RichmondNew Richmond, WIPublic1,021Tigers 1998, 2021Rice LakeRice Lake, WIPublic658Warriors 1989River FallsRiver Falls, WIPublic1,116Wildcats 1989
Notes
Current associate members SchoolLocationAffiliationEnrollmentMascotColorsPrimary ConferenceSport(s)SuperiorSuperior, WIPublic1,243Spartans Lake Superior (MSHSL)Football, Gymnastics, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer
Current co-operative members TeamColorsHost SchoolCo-operative MembersSport(s)Eau Claire Area Stars Eau Claire NorthAltoona, Eau Claire Memorial, Fall CreekGirls HockeyWestern Wisconsin Stars SomersetAmery, New Richmond, Osceola, St. Croix FallsGirls Hockey
Former members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceLa Crosse CentralLa Crosse, WIPublicRiverHawks 19561989Mississippi ValleyLa Crosse LoganLa Crosse, WIPublicRangers 19631989Mississippi ValleyMarinetteMarinette, WIPublicMarines 19561963None (independent)North EasternMenomineeMenominee, MIPublicMaroons 19561963N/AGreat Northern UPWausau EastWausau, WIPublicLumberjacks 19561973Wisconsin ValleyWausau WestWausau, WIPublicWarriors 19701973Wisconsin Valley
Notes
Membership timeline
Full members
Football members
Membership map
Sponsored sports Chippewa Falls●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Eau Claire Memorial●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Eau Claire North●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Hudson●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Menomonie●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● New Richmond●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Rice Lake●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● River Falls●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Notes
List of state champions
Fall Sports +Boys Cross CountrySchoolYearDivision Wausau1957Large SchoolsLa Crosse Central1977Class A +Girls Cross CountrySchoolYearDivisionLa Crosse Central1985Class ALa Crosse Central1988Class A Eau Claire Memorial2014Division 1 Eau Claire Memorial2015Division 1 +FootballSchoolYearDivision Menomonie1993Division 2 Menomonie1995Division 2 Menomonie1997Division 2 Menomonie1999Division 2 Menomonie2002Division 2 Rice Lake2017Division 3
Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivision Wausau1960Single Division Rice Lake1993Division 2 +Girls BasketballSchoolYearDivision Hudson1998Division 1 Hudson2002Division 1 +CurlingSchoolYearDivision Wausau1959Single Division Wausau1967Single Division +GymnasticsSchoolYearDivisionLa Crosse Central1984Class A River Falls2002Division 2 River Falls2003Division 2 River Falls2004Division 2 River Falls2007Division 2 River Falls2010Division 2 River Falls2013Division 2 Chippewa Falls2025Division 1 +Boys HockeySchoolYearDivision Menomonie1991Single Division Hudson2001Single Division Hudson2004Single Division Eau Claire Memorial2008Single Division Eau Claire Memorial2013Single Division Hudson2017Single Division Hudson2018Single Division Hudson2021Division 1 Hudson2022Division 1 Rice Lake2022Division 2 New Richmond2023Division 2 +Girls HockeySchoolYearDivision Hudson2002Single Division Hudson2003Single Division River Falls/St. Croix Central2009Single Division River Falls/St. Croix Central2010Single Division River Falls/St. Croix Central2011Single Division Eau Claire Memorial2018Single Division Chippewa Falls/McDonell Central Catholic/Menomonie2021Single Division +Boys SkiingSchoolYearDivision Wausau1958Single Division Wausau1959Single Division Wausau1960Single Division Wausau1961Single Division Wausau1962Single DivisionLa Crosse Central1969Single Division Eau Claire Memorial1970Single DivisionLa Crosse Central1974Single DivisionLa Crosse Central1975Single Division
Spring sports +BaseballSchoolYearDivision Eau Claire1957Single Division Eau Claire1958Single Division Eau Claire1961Single Division Eau Claire1962Single Division Eau Claire Memorial1964Single Division Eau Claire Memorial1966Single Division Eau Claire Memorial1968Single Division La Crosse Logan1971Single DivisionLa Crosse Central1978Class ALa Crosse Central1986Class A Eau Claire North2011Division 1 Eau Claire North2019Division 1 +Boys GolfSchoolYearDivision Eau Claire1959Single Division Eau Claire Memorial1974Single Division Eau Claire Memorial1977Single Division New Richmond1999Division 2 River Falls2002Division 1 River Falls2004Division 1 River Falls2005Division 1 Eau Claire Memorial2022Division 1 +SoftballSchoolYearDivision Menomonie1983Class A Rice Lake2004Division 2 Chippewa Falls2012Division 1 Rice Lake2017Division 2 +Boys Track & FieldSchoolYearDivisionLa Crosse Central1963Class A Rice Lake2018Division 2 +Girls Track & FieldSchoolYearDivision Hudson2007Division 1 Rice Lake2024Division 2
List of conference champions
Boys Basketball Source: SchoolQuantityYears (Eau Claire) Memorial331957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2016, 2022, 2024, 2025 Eau Claire North101982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2018 Rice Lake101991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Hudson81998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2019, 2023, 2026 River Falls71991, 1994, 2005, 2011, 2019, 2021, 2026 Chippewa Falls41980, 1983, 1988, 2020 (Wausau) East41958, 1959, 1967, 1971La Crosse Central31968, 1979, 1987 La Crosse Logan21981, 1982 Menomonie21986, 2006Marinette11961Wausau West11973Menominee (MI)0 New Richmond0
Girls Basketball Source: SchoolQuantityYears Eau Claire North141984, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017 Eau Claire Memorial121983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2008, 2025 Hudson121995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2026 Chippewa Falls102005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Menomonie51985, 1986, 2010, 2022, 2024 Rice Lake32007, 2008, 2026 River Falls12020La Crosse Central0 La Crosse Logan0 New Richmond0
Football Source: SchoolQuantityYears Menomonie241984, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 (Eau Claire) Memorial141958, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1995, 1998, 2011 Chippewa Falls101964, 1968, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2015 (Wausau) East91957, 1958, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969La Crosse Central81962, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986 River Falls61989, 1995, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2026 Hudson52009, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023 Rice Lake42000, 2015, 2021, 2025 Eau Claire North31974, 1980, 1991 La Crosse Logan31972, 1973, 1975Marinette21956, 1960Menominee (MI)21958, 1959 New Richmond12024Superior12014Wausau West11970
Boys Hockey Source: SchoolQuantityYears Hudson161996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2026 Eau Claire Memorial151983, 1985, 1986, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019 Rice Lake41990, 1991, 1992, 1995 New Richmond31999, 2023, 2025 Chippewa Falls21989, 2024 Eau Claire North21984, 1993Hayward21987, 1988 Menomonie12004 River Falls0
References
External links Big Rivers Conference Website BRCFootball.com