The South Lake Michigan Conference was an IHSAA-sanctioned conference situated in LaPorte and Starke counties. Started in 1907 as the LaPorte County Conference, the county had only five non-city schools left by 1965. The league then decided to rebrand itself as the SLMC and add Michigan City Marquette and Oregon-Davis. However, continuing consolidation would leave the league unstable, and the conference was back down to five schools by 1969. The end came when two of those schools joined the Porter County Conference, leaving the three remaining schools to become independents.
The league can be considered a predecessor to the Northland Conference, which was started 23 years later by four of the five SLMC members at the time of its disbanding. That conference was also plagued by a lack of stability, and folded in 2010.
Members School Location Mascot Colors County Year joined Previous conference Year left Conference joined Clinton Township Wanatah Trojans 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1962 none (consolidated into South Central (UM)) Hanna Hanna Fishermen 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1962 none (consolidated into South Central (UM)) Kingsbury Kingsbury Kings 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1964 none (consolidated into LaPorte) LaCrosse1 LaCrosse Tigers 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1975 Porter County Mill Creek Mill Creek Creekers 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1964 none (consolidated into LaPorte) Rolling Prairie Rolling Prairie Bulldogs 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1968 none (consolidated into New Prairie) Springfield Township Michiana Shores Indians 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1950 none (consolidated into Michigan City) Stillwell Stillwell Vikings 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1964 none (consolidated into LaPorte) Union Mills Union Mills Millers 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1962 none (consolidated into South Central (UM)) Union Township South Center Tigers 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1965 none (consolidated into LaPorte) Wanatah Wanatah Midgets 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1969 none (consolidated into LaCrosse Westville Westville Blackhawks 46 LaPorte 1907 Independents 1975 Porter County South Central (Union Mills) Union Mills Satellites 46 LaPorte 1962 none (new school) 1975 Independents(NLC 1998) Marquette Catholic Michigan City Blazers 46 LaPorte 1965 Independents(joined IHSAA 1942) 1975 Independents(NLC 1998) Oregon-Davis2 Hamlet Bobcats 75 Starke 1965 Tippecanoe Valley 1975 Independents(NLC 1998)
Played concurrently in LCC and Kankakee Valley Conference 1943–49. Played concurrently in SLMC and TVAC 1965–67.
References
Resources E.T. Pearl's Basketball Corner