Little Nine Conference
The Little Nine Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin. Operational from 1928 to 1970, its membership was concentrated in east central Wisconsin and all member schools belonged to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
1928–1950
The Little Nine Conference was founded in 1928 by a group of nine small high schools in the Fox River Valley: Bear Creek, Brillion, Denmark, Hortonville, Kimberly, Little Chute (not related to the current high school), Pulaski, Seymour and Wrightstown.[1] Hilbert joined the following year to put membership at ten schools.[2] In 1930, Reedsville joined the Little Nine Conference, replacing the original Little Chute High School, which closed and redistricted to Appleton and Kaukauna.[3][4] The Little Nine also split into Eastern and Western Divisions that year:[5]
| Eastern Division | Western Division |
|---|---|
| Brillion | Bear Creek |
| Denmark | Hortonville |
| Hilbert | Kimberly |
| Reedsville | Pulaski |
| Wrightstown | Seymour |
In 1931, conference membership increased to twelve schools as Freedom and Shiocton joined the Little Nine.[6] Stockbridge was also invited to join the Little Nine that year[7] but declined the invite. Freedom was placed in the Eastern Division while Shiocton was placed in the Western Division:[8]
| Eastern Division | Western Division |
|---|---|
| Brillion | Bear Creek |
| Denmark | Hortonville |
| Freedom | Kimberly |
| Hilbert | Pulaski |
| Reedsville | Seymour |
| Wrightstown | Shiocton |
Pulaski left the conference in 1933 to compete independent of conference affiliation,[9] and two schools swapped divisions with Freedom moving to the Western Division and Kimberly to the Eastern Division.[10] Two years later, Winneconne joined the Little Nine Conference from the Little 6-C Conference to bring membership back up to twelve schools. They took up residence in the Western Division to give the conference two six-team divisions:[11]
| Eastern Division | Western Division |
|---|---|
| Brillion | Bear Creek |
| Denmark | Freedom |
| Hilbert | Hortonville |
| Kimberly | Seymour |
| Reedsville | Shiocton |
| Wrightstown | Winneconne |
Seymour and Wrightstown swapped division affiliation in 1937,[12] and the conference would maintain this alignment for twelve years. Football was added as a sponsored sport in 1947 with five schools (Brillion, Denmark, Shiocton Winneconne and Wrightstown) participating.[13] In 1950, Kimberly and Seymour left to join the Northeastern Wisconsin Conference, leaving membership at ten schools.[14] Divisions were also abolished that year, and the Little Nine competed as a single entity for the rest of its history.[15]
1950–1970
The Little Nine Conference remained a fairly stable loop in terms of membership with few changes occurring during the last two decades of the conference's run. Brillion left in 1951 to join the Eastern Wisconsin Conference,[16] they were not replaced until 1956 when Omro joined the Little Nine from the Big 7-C Conference.[17] Brillion would return in 1965 to replace Bear Creek after they left the conference to compete in the Wolf River Valley Conference for the remainder of their history.[18] The Little Nine Conference continued as a ten-member circuit before disbanding in 1970. Six schools moved on to the new Olympian Conference (Brillion, Denmark, Freedom, Hilbert, Reedsville and Wrightstown),[19] three joined the new East Central Conference (Hortonville, Omro and Winneconne),[20] and Shiocton was accepted into the Central Wisconsin Conference.[21]
Conference membership history
Final members
| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brillion | Brillion, WI | Public | 342 | Lions | 1928,[1] 1965[18] | 1951,[16] 1970[19] | Eastern Wisconsin, Olympian | Eastern Wisconsin | |
| Denmark | Denmark, WI | Public | 488 | Vikings | 1928[1] | 1970[19] | Olympian | North Eastern | |
| Freedom | Freedom, WI | Public | 504 | Irish | 1931[6] | 1970[19] | Olympian | North Eastern | |
| Hilbert | Hilbert, WI | Public | 141 | Wolves | 1929[2] | 1970[19] | Olympian | Big East | |
| Hortonville | Hortonville, WI | Public | 1,232 | Polar Bears | 1928[1] | 1970[20] | East Central | Fox Valley Association | |
| Omro | Omro, WI | Public | 333 | Foxes | 1956[17] | 1970[20] | East Central | Wisconsin Flyway | |
| Reedsville | Reedsville, WI | Public | 192 | Panthers | 1930[3] | 1970[19] | Olympian | Big East | |
| Shiocton | Shiocton, WI | Public | 221 | Chiefs | 1931[6] | 1970[21] | Central Wisconsin | ||
| Winneconne | Winneconne, WI | Public | 551 | Wolves | 1935[11] | 1970[20] | East Central | Bay (2025) | |
| Wrightstown | Wrightstown, WI | Public | 402 | Tigers | 1928[1] | 1970[19] | Olympian | North Eastern | |
Previous members
| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek | Bear Creek, WI | Public | N/A | Bruins | 1928[1] | 1965[18] | Wolf River Valley | Closed in 1969 (consolidated into Clintonville) | |
| Kimberly | Kimberly, WI | Public | 1,595 | Papermakers | 1928[1] | 1950[14] | Northeastern Wisconsin | Fox Valley Association | |
| Little Chute | Little Chute, WI | Public | N/A | Purple and Gold | 1928[1] | 1930[4] | Closed (district split between Appleton and Kaukauna) | ||
| Pulaski | Pulaski, WI | Public | 1,141 | Red Raiders | 1928[1] | 1933[9] | Independent | Fox River Classic | |
| Seymour | Seymour, WI | Public | 655 | Indians | 1928[1] | 1950[14] | Northeastern Wisconsin | Bay | |
Membership timeline
Full members
Eastern Division Western Division
Football members
List of conference champions
Boys Basketball
| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Hortonville | 13 | 1931, 1933, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1959 |
| Winneconne | 11 | 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1951, 1956, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 |
| Kimberly | 10 | 1932, 1934, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 |
| Reedsville | 8 | 1931, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1945, 1946, 1963, 1964 |
| Seymour | 7 | 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1941, 1942, 1949 |
| Hilbert | 6 | 1943, 1950, 1955, 1963, 1964, 1965 |
| Denmark | 5 | 1930, 1937, 1938, 1955, 1962 |
| Bear Creek | 3 | 1938, 1941, 1954 |
| Omro | 3 | 1968, 1969, 1970 |
| Brillion | 2 | 1929, 1935 |
| Freedom | 2 | 1945, 1946 |
| Shiocton | 2 | 1960, 1961 |
| Little Chute | 0 | |
| Pulaski | 0 | |
| Wrightstown | 0 |
Football
| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Winneconne | 8 | 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957 |
| Denmark | 8 | 1952, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1969 |
| Freedom | 4 | 1957, 1961, 1964, 1965 |
| Wrightstown | 4 | 1948, 1954, 1962, 1968 |
| Brillion | 3 | 1948, 1967, 1968 |
| Hortonville | 3 | 1956, 1957, 1969 |
| Reedsville | 3 | 1957, 1958, 1959 |
| Omro | 1 | 1963 |
| Hilbert | 0 | |
| Shiocton | 0 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Form Conference for Small Schools". Appleton Post-Crescent. February 23, 1928. p. 14. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Hilbert Is Voted in Little Nine League". Green Bay Press-Gazette. May 7, 1929. p. 14. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Reedsville Now Member Little "9" School Circuit". Two Rivers Reporter and Chronicle. April 29, 1930. p. 2. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Vote to Abandon Little Chute High; Students Protest". Green Bay Press-Gazette. May 6, 1930. p. 23. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Seymour, Pulaski Will Meet Friday in Conference Tilt". Green Bay Press-Gazette. January 8, 1931. p. 17. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Two New Schools Added to Little Nine Conference". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 15, 1931. p. 26. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Freedom, Stockbridge Asked to Join League". Appleton Post-Crescent. January 13, 1931. p. 14. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Bear Creek Plays Hortonville Five Tomorrow Night". Appleton Post-Crescent. January 14, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Pulaski High School Quits Little 9 Loop". Appleton Post-Crescent. November 24, 1933. p. 13. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Little 9 League Shifts Kimberly". Appleton Post-Crescent. September 15, 1933. p. 14. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Basketball Schedule, Little Nine Conference, 1935-1936". Appleton Post-Crescent. September 19, 1935. p. 18. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Little Nine in Reoganization". Appleton Post-Crescent. March 27, 1937. p. 14. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Little Nine Draws Grid Schedule". Appleton Post-Crescent. May 15, 1947. p. 15. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Kimberly and Seymour Join Northeast Loop". Janesville Weekly Gazette. March 23, 1950. p. 9. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Reedsville Defeats Hilbert; Winneconne Edges Brillion". Two Rivers Reporter and Chronicle. January 20, 1951. p. 9. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Brillion High School Officially Accepted by Eastern Wis. Circuit". Appleton Post-Crescent. February 2, 1951. p. 15. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Omro to Join Little 9 Loop in 1956-57". Appleton Post-Crescent. November 21, 1955. p. 17. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Brillion Will Leave EWC". Appleton Post-Crescent. December 4, 1964. p. 20. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "New Area Conference Forms". Appleton Post-Crescent. August 2, 1969. p. 8. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "New 8-School Area Conference Will Begin Competition in 1970-71". Appleton Post-Crescent. June 20, 1969. p. 19. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Area Prep Realignment Almost Complete". Neenah News-Record. March 13, 1970. p. 5. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
