Michigan-Wisconsin Conference
The Michigan-Wisconsin Conference is a former high school athletic conference with members in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Operational from 1937 to 1973, its public school members were part of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
History
[edit]1937–1960
[edit]
The Michigan-Wisconsin Conference was formed in 1937 by five high schools near the border between the two states. Three members were located in Michigan's upper peninsula (Bessemer, Ironwood and Wakefield) and two were based in Wisconsin (Ashland and Hurley).[1] All of the original member schools in the Michigan-Wisconsin Conference were located along the U.S. Route 2 corridor near the south shore of Lake Superior. Two new schools were added in 1950 when Calumet of Michigan and Park Falls of Wisconsin became members of the conference.[2] Both schools already had commitments in other conferences to fulfill, and Park Falls didn't join for all of their sponsored sports until 1952.[3] Calument joined as a football-only member alongside Park Falls,[4] but they elected to remain members of Michigan's Copper Country Conference for all other sports.[5][6] Park Falls only stayed for five years as a full member before they left in 1955 to join the Lumberjack Conference.[7]
1960–1973
[edit]In 1960, the newly formed Northwestern High School in Maple brought membership in the Michigan-Wisconsin Conference back up to six schools.[8] Superior East became the conference's seventh school in 1961,[9] but closed in 1965 after merging with Superior Central to form the new Superior High School.[10] They were immediately replaced by Cathedral High School,[11] the only private school ever to play in the conference and a member of the Wisconsin Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association. Just like their predecessor, they spent four years as conference members before closing their doors in 1969.[12] The Michigan-Wisconsin Conference lasted for four more years before disbanding in 1973. Ashland and Hurley joined Wisconsin's Lumberjack Conference,[13] and two Michigan schools (Bessemer and Wakefield) became charter members of the Western Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference.[14] Northwestern spent a year as an independent before they became members of the Heart O'North Conference in Wisconsin,[15] and Ironwood entered the Great Northern UP Conference in Michigan.[16]
Conference membership history
[edit]Final members
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | Ashland, WI | Public | Oredockers | 1937[1] | 1973[13] | Lumberjack | Heart O'North | |
| Bessemer | Bessemer, MI | Public | Speedboys | 1937[1] | 1973[14] | Western UP (MHSAA) | Independent | |
| Hurley | Hurley, WI | Public | Midgets | 1937[1] | 1973[13] | Lumberjack | Northern Lights | |
| Ironwood | Ironwood, MI | Public | Red Devils | 1937[1] | 1973[16] | Great Northern UP (MHSAA) | Independent | |
| Northwestern | Maple, WI | Public | Tigers | 1960[8] | 1973[15] | Independent | Heart O'North | |
| Wakefield | Wakefield, MI | Public | Cardinals | 1937[1] | 1973[14] | Western UP (MHSAA) | Independent |
Previous members
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathedral | Superior, WI | Private (Catholic) | Panthers | 1965[11] | 1969[12] | Closed | ||
| Park Falls | Park Falls, WI | Public | Cardinals | 1950[2] | 1955[7] | Lumberjack | Closed in 2009 (merged into Chequamegon) | |
| Superior East | Superior, WI | Public | Orientals | 1961[9] | 1965[10] | Closed (merged into Superior) | ||
Football-only members
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Mascot | Colors | Seasons | Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calumet | Calumet, MI | Public | Copper Kings | 1952-1953[4][5][6] | Copper Country |
Membership timeline
[edit]Full members
[edit]
Football members
[edit]
List of state champions
[edit]| School | Year | Organization | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bessemer | 1947[17] | MHSAA | Class B (Upper Peninsula) |
| Hurley | 1949[18] | WIAA | Open Classification |
| School | Year | Organization | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurley | 1964[19] | WIAA | Open Classification |
| School | Year | Organization | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield | 1945[20] | MHSAA | Open (Upper Peninsula) |
| Ironwood | 1946[20] | MHSAA | Class B (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1946[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Ironwood | 1947[20] | MHSAA | Class B (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1947[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1948[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1949[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1950[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1951[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1953[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1957[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1963[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1964[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1965[20] | MHSAA | Class C-D (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1969[20] | MHSAA | Open (Upper Peninsula) |
| School | Year | Organization | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ironwood | 1940[21] | MHSAA | Class B (Upper Peninsula) |
| Ironwood | 1946[21] | MHSAA | Class B (Upper Peninsula) |
| Ironwood | 1948[21] | MHSAA | Class B (Upper Peninsula) |
| Ironwood | 1950[21] | MHSAA | Class B (Upper Peninsula) |
| Bessemer | 1951[21] | MHSAA | Class C (Upper Peninsula) |
| Ironwood | 1951[21] | MHSAA | Class B (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1952[21] | MHSAA | Class C (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1959[21] | MHSAA | Class C (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1960[21] | MHSAA | Class C (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1961[21] | MHSAA | Class C (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1962[21] | MHSAA | Class C (Upper Peninsula) |
| Wakefield | 1964[21] | MHSAA | Class C (Upper Peninsula) |
List of conference champions
[edit]Boys Basketball
[edit]| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ironwood | 13 | 1939, 1940, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1971 |
| Hurley | 12 | 1943, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1973 |
| Bessemer | 7 | 1938, 1942, 1948, 1956, 1970, 1972, 1973 |
| Wakefield | 6 | 1958, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1970 |
| Ashland | 4 | 1945, 1946, 1950, 1968 |
| Superior Cathedral | 2 | 1966, 1969 |
| Superior East | 1 | 1965 |
| Northwestern | 0 | |
| Park Falls | 0 |
Football
[edit]| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ironwood | 18 | 1937, 1938, 1939, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 |
| Bessemer | 10 | 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1947, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1967 |
| Hurley | 8 | 1942, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1968, 1970 |
| Wakefield | 5 | 1958, 1959, 1960, 1970, 1972 |
| Ashland | 4 | 1946, 1949, 1955, 1966 |
| Superior Cathedral | 1 | 1967 |
| Superior East | 1 | 1964 |
| Calumet | 0 | |
| Northwestern | 0 | |
| Park Falls | 0 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Five High Schools Organize Michigan-Wisconsin Athletic Conference". Ironwood Daily Globe. 23 September 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- 1 2 "Two Added To Loop". Oshkosh Northwestern. 5 April 1950. p. 18.
- ↑ "Officials of Lumberjack Conference to Meet". Marshfield News-Herald. 7 November 1951. p. 14. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 Maki, Eugene (29 August 1952). "Sports (see Sport Shorts)". Wakefield News. p. 4. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Polar Bears Are Riding High In Copper Country Conference". Ironwood Daily Globe. 7 February 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 "Polar Bears, Gremlins in C-C Classic Friday". Ironwood Daily Globe. 24 January 1952. p. 7. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 "Park Falls Coming Back To Conference". Wausau Dailu Herald. 12 November 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 "Maple Tigers to Join M-W Ranks at Start of 1960-61 Basketball Season". Ironwood Daily Globe. 22 January 1960. p. 6. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 "Superior East in M-W Conference". Iron County Miner. 28 October 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 "M-W Conference Selects Dates, Sites for Spring Meeting". Ironwood Daily Globe. 24 March 1965. p. 10. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 "Superior School Appoints Coach". Ironwood Daily Globe. 24 July 1965. p. 16. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 "WISAA Accepts Two New Members". Eau Claire Daily Telegram. 26 April 1969. p. 12. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Lumberjack Conference Accepts Hurley's Bid". Ironwood Daily Globe. 9 May 1972. p. 5. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Bessemer Joins New Conference". Ironwood Daily Globe. 12 June 1973. p. 5. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 [14 "No Major Power Shifts Expected in Northern Wisconsin Football"]. Ironwood Daily Globe. 6 September 1973. p. 14. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help) - 1 2 "New looks in EUPC and GLC Conferences". The Hiawathaland. 29 August 1973. p. 42. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ↑ "Boys Basketball Champions 1925-2024". Michigan High School Athletic Association. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ↑ "State Boys Basketball Champions (1916-2024)" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ↑ "State Team Championships (see Hurley)". Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Boys Tennis Team Champions 1925-2024". Michigan High School Athletic Association. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Boys Track & Field Team Champions 1925-2024". Michigan High School Athletic Association. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.