Northeastern Wisconsin Conference

The Northeastern Wisconsin Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, opening competition in 1927 and disbanding in 1970. Its members were concentrated in the northeastern part of the state, and all members were affiliated with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

History

1927–1933

The Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Conference was formed in 1927 by thirteen small- to medium-sized high schools in northeastern Wisconsin. Algoma, Clintonville, De Pere, Kaukauna, Kewaunee, Menasha, Neenah, New London, Oconto, Oconto Falls, Shawano, Sturgeon Bay and West De Pere were charter members. Gillett and Two Rivers joined the conference before the 1927 football season to give the NEW Conference fifteen members. The conference had a large geographic footprint, including schools in nine counties (Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca and Winnebago). Four years after the NEW Conference's formation, Clintonville and Gillett left the conference, putting the membership tally at thirteen schools.

1933–1952 In 1933, the NEW Conference split its thirteen member schools into Eastern and Western Divisions: Eastern DivisionWestern DivisionAlgomaKaukaunaDe PereMenashaKewauneeNeenahOcontoNew LondonOconto FallsShawanoSturgeon BayWest De PereTwo Rivers Clintonville rejoined the conference in 1934, and they took up residence in the Western Division, putting each division at seven members apiece. Conference membership remained stable for over a decade until West De Pere left the NEW Conference in 1943 to compete as an independent. Two Rivers moved from the Eastern to the Western Division in 1949, and the conference added two schools in 1950: Kimberly and Seymour. Both schools had recently left the Little Nine Conference in search of stronger competition, and both joined the Eastern Division for their first season in the NEW Conference. Kimberly switched to the Western Division in 1951, and the Eastern Division welcomed Pulaski and West De Pere. Both schools were formerly in the Mid-Valley Conference, and West De Pere was making its return after it left the NEW Conference eight years prior: Eastern DivisionWestern DivisionAlgomaClintonvilleDe PereKaukaunaKewauneeKimberlyOcontoMenashaOconto FallsNeenahPulaskiNew LondonSeymourShawanoSturgeon BayTwo RiversWest De Pere

1952–1966

In 1952, all eight schools in the Northeastern Wisconsin Conference's Western Division left to form the Mid-Eastern Conference. The remaining nine schools in the Eastern Division of the NEW Conference continued on as a nine-member circuit. Growth in the Green Bay metropolitan area and the opening of new high schools drove expansion of the NEW Conference in the 1950s and 1960s. Preble High School was opened in 1955 and joined the NEW Conference the next year, bringing membership to ten. In 1964, Preble left the NEW Conference after their school district was consolidated into Green Bay's school district. They joined their new brethren with the larger schools of the Fox River Valley Conference and were replaced by Bonduel, formerly of the Central Wisconsin Conference. Two recently opened high schools joined the NEW Conference in 1966 to bring membership to twelve schools: Ashwaubenon High School and Bay Port High School of the Howard-Suamico district.

1966–1970

The Northeastern Wisconsin Conference would continue with twelve member schools for the next four years before a major realignment occurred in the region. Several conferences were disbanded that year, and the NEW Conference was one of them. Eight of the twelve former NEW Conference schools, along with Clintonville of the Mid-Eastern Conference and former independent Marinette, formed the new Bay Conference: Ashwaubenon, Bay Port, De Pere, Oconto, Oconto Falls, Pulaski, Seymour and West De Pere. Three of the smaller schools (Algoma, Kewaunee and Sturgeon Bay) became charter members of the Packerland Conference and Bonduel returned to the Central Wisconsin Conference after leaving six years prior.

Conference membership history

Final members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceAlgomaAlgoma, WIPublicWolves 19271970PackerlandAshwaubenonAshwaubenon, WIPublicJaguars 19661970BayFox River ClassicBay PortSuamico, WIPublicPirates 19661970BayFox River ClassicBonduelBonduel, WIPublicBears 19641970Central WisconsinDe PereDe Pere, WIPublicRedbirds 19271970BayFox River ClassicKewauneeKewaunee, WIPublicIndians 19271970PackerlandOcontoOconto, WIPublicBlue Devils 19271970BayPackerlandOconto FallsOconto Falls, WIPublicPanthers 19271970BayNorth EasternPulaskiPulaski, WIPublicRed Raiders 19511970BayFox River ClassicSeymourSeymour, WIPublicIndians 19501970BaySturgeon BaySturgeon Bay, WIPublicClippers 19271970PackerlandWest De PereDe Pere, WIPublicPhantoms 1927, 19511943, 1970BayFox River Classic

Previous members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceClintonvilleClintonville, WIPublicTruckers 1927, 19341931, 1952Mid-EasternNorth EasternGillettGillett, WIPublicTigers 19271931IndependentMarinette & OcontoKaukaunaKaukauna, WIPublicGalloping Ghosts 19271952Mid-EasternFox Valley AssociationKimberlyKimberly, WIPublicPapermakers 19501952Mid-EasternFox Valley AssociationMenashaMenasha, WIPublicBlue Jays 19271952Mid-EasternBayNeenahNeenah, WIPublicRockets 19271952Mid-EasternFox Valley AssociationNew LondonNew London, WIPublicBulldogs 19271952Mid-EasternBayPreblePreble, WIPublicHornets 19561964Fox River ValleyFox River ClassicShawanoShawano, WIPublicIndians 19271952Mid-EasternBayTwo RiversTwo Rivers, WIPublicRaiders 19271952Mid-EasternEastern Wisconsin

Membership timeline

List of state champions

Fall sports None

Winter sports +Boys BasketballSchoolYearDivisionNeenah1930Single DivisionDe Pere1934Class BShawano1938Class BShawano1940Single DivisionTwo Rivers1941Single Division +SkiingSchoolYearDivisionSturgeon Bay1968Single Division

Spring sports +BaseballSchoolYearDivisionMenasha1950Single Division +Boys TennisSchoolYearDivisionShawano1939Single DivisionShawano1940Single DivisionShawano1941Single DivisionNeenah1946Single DivisionNeenah1951Single Division +Boys Track & FieldSchoolYearDivisionShawano1936Class BSturgeon Bay1959Class B

List of conference champions

Boys Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsShawano111933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1950, 1952Neenah111928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1951Kewaunee91931, 1936, 1945, 1946, 1954, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1970Algoma71945, 1949, 1951, 1955, 1964, 1965, 1967Two Rivers71937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1950West De Pere71952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1961, 1965, 1966Menasha51934, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951Oconto51930, 1933, 1939, 1947, 1948De Pere41932, 1934, 1942, 1967Sturgeon Bay41935, 1954, 1967, 1968Oconto Falls31957, 1958, 1969Preble21958, 1959Kaukauna11941New London11940Ashwaubenon0Bay Port0Bonduel0Clintonville0Gillett0Kimberly0Pulaski0Seymour0

Football SchoolQuantityYearsKaukauna171927, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950Sturgeon Bay101936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1949, 1950, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1968West De Pere81929, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1963, 1965, 1966De Pere71932, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1958, 1961, 1964Two Rivers71941, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948Kewaunee51935, 1951, 1952, 1968, 1969Preble51956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962Menasha41931, 1933, 1941, 1951Shawano31935, 1937, 1943Clintonville21947, 1950Oconto Falls21952, 1967Pulaski21952, 1955Algoma11950Oconto11934Seymour11952Ashwaubenon0Bay Port0Bonduel0Gillett0Kimberly0Neenah0New London0

References