North Central Conference (Indiana) facts for kids
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The North Central Conference (NCC) is a sports league for ten big high schools in Indiana. It's approved by the IHSAA. These schools are located in central and north central Indiana, across several counties like Cass, Delaware, Grant, Howard, Madison, Marion, Tippecanoe, and Wayne. Many of these schools are in larger cities such as Anderson, Marion, Kokomo, Lafayette, Muncie, and Richmond. Some of the biggest high school gyms in the country are found at schools in this conference!
Contents
History of the NCC
The North Central Conference started on March 23, 1926. Ten schools from central Indiana came together to form it. The first schools were Anderson, Arsenal Tech (from Indianapolis), Frankfort, Kokomo, Lebanon, Logansport, Muncie Central, New Castle, Richmond, and Rochester.
In the first ten years, there were only a couple of small changes. Lafayette Jeff joined in 1930, replacing Rochester. Then, Marion joined in 1933, taking Lebanon's place. The conference stayed the same for a long time after that, adding more sports for its teams to compete in.
Things changed in the 1960s. Arsenal Tech had to leave in 1960 to join another league called the IPS Conference. Frankfort also left in 1967 to help start the Sagamore Conference. For the next 36 years, the NCC had eight schools.
During this time, some cities like Anderson, Kokomo, and Muncie opened more high schools. However, tough economic times in the late 1970s and early 1980s hit many of these cities hard. Populations went down as manufacturing jobs were lost. Today, Anderson, Kokomo, and Muncie each have only one high school.
Because of these changes, Lafayette Jeff left the NCC in 2003. They joined the Hoosier Crossroads Conference to play against local rivals Harrison and McCutcheon, and other growing schools near Indianapolis. Huntington North then joined the NCC as a replacement.
More schools left the NCC later on. New Castle left in 2013 to join the Hoosier Heritage Conference. Huntington North also left in 2015 to become part of the Northeast Hoosier Conference.
However, Lafayette Jeff rejoined the NCC in 2014, bringing along Harrison and McCutcheon from its county. Indianapolis Arsenal Tech also came back to the NCC in 2015. But due to long travel distances, Arsenal Tech will leave the conference again at the end of the 2022-23 school year.
In early 2023, the conference made more changes. They decided that West Lafayette Harrison and Lafayette McCutcheon would leave after the 2023-24 school year. Also, Logansport announced in May 2023 that its teams, the Berries, would leave the North Central Conference. They will join the Hoosier Athletic Conference after the 2023-2024 school year.
Current Schools
Here are the schools that are currently part of the North Central Conference:
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | County | Enrollment [1] 24-25 |
IHSAA Class / Football |
Year joined | Previous conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | Anderson | Indians | 48 Madison |
1,722 | 4A/5A | 1926 | Independent | |
| Kokomo | Kokomo | Wildkats | 34 Howard |
1,5465 | 4A/5A | 1926 | Howard County | |
| Lafayette Jefferson2 |
Lafayette | Bronchos | 79 Tippecanoe |
2,034 | 4A/5A | 1931 2014 |
Independent Hoosier Crossroads |
|
| Marion | Marion | Giants | 27 Grant |
1,045 | 3A/4A | 1933 | Grant County | |
| Muncie Central3 |
Muncie | Bearcats | 18 Delaware |
1,332 | 4A/4A | 1926 | Independent | |
| Richmond4 | Richmond | Red Devils | 89 Wayne |
1,320 | 4A/4A | 1926 | Independent |
- Arsenal played in the IPS Conference from 1960 to 2015.
- Lafayette Jeff played in the HCC from 2003 to 2014.
- Known as Muncie until 1963.
- Known as Morton until 1948.
Former Schools
These schools used to be part of the North Central Conference:
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | County | Enrollment | IHSAA Class /Football/Soccer | Year joined | Previous conference | Year left | Conference joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort | Frankfort | Hot Dogs | 12 Clinton |
837 | 3A/3A/2A | 1926 | Independent | 1967 | Sagamore | |
| Huntington North |
Huntington | Vikings | 35 Huntington |
1,750 | 4A/5A/2A | 2003 | Olympic | 2015 | Northeast Eight | |
| Lebanon | Lebanon | Tigers | 06 Boone |
1,049 | 3A/4A/2A | 1926 | Independent | 1933 | Independent | |
| New Castle Chrysler |
New Castle | Trojans | 33 Henry |
1,108 | 4A/4A/2A | 1926 | Independent | 2013 | Hoosier Heritage | |
| Rochester | Rochester | Zebras | 25 Fulton |
564 | 3A/3A/A | 1926 | Independent | 1931 | Central Indiana | |
| Arsenal Tech | Indianapolis | Titans | 49 Marion |
2,122 | 4A/6A/3A | 1926 2015 |
Independent IPS |
2023 | Independent | |
| Harrison (West Lafayette) | West Lafayette | Raiders | 79 Tippecanoe | 2,079 | 4A/5A | 2014 | Hoosier Crossroads | 2024 | Sagamore | |
| McCutcheon | Lafayette | Mavericks | 79 Tippecanoe |
1,807 | 4A/5A | 2014 | Hoosier Crossroads | 2024 | Sagamore | |
| Logansport | Logansport | Berries | 09 Cass |
1,252 | 4A/4A | 1926 | Cass County | 2024 | Hoosier |
Membership Timeline
This timeline shows when schools joined and left the North Central Conference:
Full members Other conference
Divisions
Since the 2014 season, the NCC has had two divisions: East and West. This division system is used for boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' tennis, boys' baseball, and girls' softball.
| East | West |
|---|---|
| Anderson | Harrison |
| Arsenal Tech | Kokomo |
| Marion | Lafayette Jeff |
| Muncie Central | Logansport |
| Richmond | McCutcheon |
Conference Championships
Teams in the NCC compete for championships in many sports each year. Here are some of the schools that have won the most conference titles in football, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, and boys' cross country.
Football
| # | Team | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Richmond | 1951, 1952, 1956, 1958*, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1970*, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977*, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994*, 1999, 2000*, 2001, 2012, 2013 |
| 20 | Kokomo | 1932*, 1939*, 1955, 1957*, 1960*, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1987*, 1993, 1994*, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,2015, 2016, state runner up 2017 |
| 17 | Lafayette Jeff | 1934*, 1936, 1937, 1943*, 1946, 1947, 1948*, 1950, 1966, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1994*, 1998, 2000*, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| 14 | Muncie Central | 1932*, 1933, 1934*, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943*, 1944, 1945, 1953, 1954*, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
| 10 | Marion | 1960*, 1968, 1969, 1970*, 1986, 1987*, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2006* |
| 7 | Logansport | 1958*, 1959, 1960*, 1977*, 1995, 2005, 2006* |
| 5 | Arsenal Tech | 1939*, 1949, 1954*, 1957*, 1960* |
| 5 | New Castle | 1935, 1938, 1948*, 1976, 1984 |
| 2 | McCutcheon | 2014, 2016 |
| 1 | Anderson | 1983 |
| 3 | Harrison (WL) | 2016, 2021, 2022 |
| 1 | Huntington North | 2006* |
| 0 | Frankfort | |
| 0 | Lebanon | |
| 0 | Rochester |
Boys Basketball
| # | Team | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Marion | 1940, 1966, 1968,1969, 1975, 1977*, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990*, 1991, 1998*, 1999, 2000*, 2007*, 2008*, 2009 |
| 20 | Muncie Central | 1927, 1928, 1929, 1938*, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1970*, 1978, 1994*, 2000*, 2004, 2005, 2007*, 2008*, 2012 |
| 19 | Kokomo | 1939, 1944, 1945, 1951, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1971*, 1976*, 1990*, 1994*, 1996, 2003*, 2010*, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2023 |
| 17 | Anderson | 1941, 1943*, 1949, 1965, 1973, 1974, 1976*, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1993, 1997*, 1998*, 2001*, 2002*, 2006, 2022 |
| 12 | Lafayette Jeff | 1935, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1964, 1967, 1968, 2001*, 2003*, 2019, 2020 |
| 10 | New Castle | 1943*, 1972, 1979, 1990*, 1995, 1997*, 2001*, 2003*, 2007*, 2010* |
| 9 | Richmond | 1943, 1970*, 1971*, 1976*, 1977*, 1988, 2002*, 2014, 2015 |
| 5 | Frankfort | 1930, 1931, 1936, 1937, 1938* |
| 4 | Logansport | 1933, 1934, 1977*, 2017 |
| 2 | Arsenal Tech | 1932, 1957 |
| 2 | McCutcheon | 2016, 2018 |
| 0 | Harrison (WL) | |
| 0 | Huntington North | |
| 0 | Lebanon | |
| 0 | Rochester |
Girls Basketball
| # | Team | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Kokomo | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994*, 1998, 1999, 2000*, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008*, 2010 |
| 9 | Anderson | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1994*, 2005, 2008*, 2021 |
| 7 | Lafayette Jeff | 1988, 1989, 1995*, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| 5 | Logansport | 1997, 2008*, 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| 5 | New Castle | 1979, 1995*, 2007, 2009, 2011 |
| 4 | Harrison (WL) | 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| 4 | Marion | 1980, 1981, 2016, 2019 |
| 4 | Richmond | 1985, 1990, 2000*, 2015 |
| 0 | Arsenal Tech | |
| 0 | Huntington North | |
| 0 | McCutcheon | |
| 0 | Muncie Central |
Boys Cross Country
| # | Team | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Anderson | 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988 |
| 16 | Richmond | 1960, 1961, 1970, 1971, 2973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999 |
| 7 | Huntington North | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 |
| 7 | Muncie Central | 1956, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1989, 2011 |
| 6 | Marion | 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004 |
| 6 | Lafayette Jeff | 1964, 1984, 1990, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2020 |
| 5 | Kokomo | 1952, 1955, 1985, 2000, 2005 |
| 3 | Harrison (WL) | 2018, 2019, 2022 |
| 3 | Logansport | 1967, 1969, 1972 |
| 2 | McCutcheon | 2016, 2017 |
| 0 | Arsenal Tech | |
| 0 | Franfort | |
| 0 | Huntington North | |
| 0 | Lebanon | |
| 0 | New Castle | |
| 0 | Rochester |
State Championships
Many schools in the North Central Conference have won state championships in various sports. Here are some of their achievements:
Anderson (26)
- 1935 Boys Basketball
- 1937 Boys Basketball
- 1945 Boys Track & Field
- 1946 Boys Basketball
- 1946 Boys Track & Field
- 1946 Boys Cross Country
- 1947 Boys Track & Field
- 1947 Boys Cross Country
- 1948 Boys Track & Field
- 1948 Boys Cross Country
- 1949 Boys Cross Country
- 1950 Boys Cross Country
- 1951 Boys Cross Country
- 1952 Boys Golf
- 1952 Boys Cross Country
- 1953 Boys Golf
- 1955 Boys Golf
- 1955 Boys Cross Country
- 1959 Boys Cross Country
- 1972 Boys Golf
- 1974 Boys Golf
- 1984 Girls Swimming & Diving
- 1985 Girls Swimming & Diving
- 1988 Boys Swimming & Diving
- 1989 Boys Swimming & Diving
- 1995 Boys Golf
Arsenal Tech (10)
- 1918 Baseball
- 1922 Boys Track
- 1933 Boys Golf
- 1936 Boys Golf
- 1947 Boys Golf
- 1948 Boys Golf
- 1952 Wrestling
- 1976 Wrestling
- 1979 Wrestling
- 2014 Boys Basketball (4A)
Harrison (4)
- 1974 Girls Track
- 1992 Football (4A)
- 1995 Baseball
- 2017 Boys Soccer (3A)
Huntington North (2)
- 1990 Girls Basketball
- 1995 Girls Basketball
Kokomo (19)
- 1911 Boys Track
- 1924 Boys Track
- 1925 Boys Track
- 1926 Boys Track
- 1927 Boys Track
- 1934 Boys Track
- 1935 Boys Track
- 1937 Boys Track
- 1958 Boys Golf
- 1961 Boys Basketball
- 1969 Boys Swimming
- 1985 Baseball
- 1985 Boys Golf
- 1986 Boys Golf
- 1988 Boys Golf
- 1992 Girls Basketball
- 1993 Girls Basketball
- 1994 Boys Track
- 2003 Girls Basketball (4A)
Lafayette Jefferson Bronchos (14)
- 1916 boys' Basketball
- 1932 boys' Golf
- 1948 boys' Basketball
- 1964 boys' Basketball
- 1969 Baseball
- 1973 Baseball
- 1974 girls' Swimming
- 1975 boys' Tennis
- 1977 boys' Golf
- 1978 boys' Golf
- 1979 girls' Golf
- 1983 girls' Golf
- 1984 girls' Golf
- 1987 boys' Golf
Logansport (5)
- 1934 Boys Basketball
- 1975 Baseball
- 1977 Baseball
- 1979 Baseball
- 1991 Baseball
Marion (11)
- 1926 Boys Basketball
- 1966 Boys Golf
- 1975 Boys Basketball
- 1976 Boys Basketball
- 1984 Baseball
- 1985 Boys Basketball
- 1986 Boys Basketball
- 1987 Boys Basketball
- 1991 Boys Tennis
- 2000 Boys Basketball (4A)
- 2016 Boys Basketball (3A)
McCutcheon (4)
- 1999 Baseball (4A)
- 2003 Baseball (4A)
- 2008 Softball (4A)
- 2021 Girls' Volleyball (4A)
Muncie Central (17)
- 1928 Boys Basketball
- 1931 Boys Basketball
- 1951 Boys Basketball
- 1952 Boys Basketball
- 1963 Boys Basketball
- 1978 Boys Basketball
- 1979 Boys Basketball
- 1988 Boys Basketball
- 1956 Boys Cross Country
- 1958 Boys Cross Country
- 1967 Boys Cross Country
- 1997 Volleyball (4A)
- 1998 Volleyball (4A)
- 1999 Volleyball (4A)
- 2002 Volleyball (4A)
- 2004 Volleyball (4A)
- 2009 Volleyball (4A)
Richmond (8)
- 1941 Boys Golf
- 1958 Wrestling
- 1992 Boys Basketball
- 1993 Boys Golf
- 1994 Boys Cross Country
- 1996 Boys Golf
- 1997 Boys Golf
- 2003 Boys Golf
Largest Gyms in the Nation
Did you know that some of the biggest high school gymnasiums in the United States are part of the North Central Conference?
- 1. Anderson High School Wigwam (8,996 seats) - Note: This gym is no longer in use.
- 4. Richmond Tiernan Center (8,100 seats)
- 6. Marion High School (7,560 seats)
Nearby Conferences
The North Central Conference shares its region with other athletic conferences, such as:
- Mid-Indiana Conference (MIC)
- Central Indiana Athletic Conference
- Three Rivers Conference
More Information
You can find more details about high school sports in Indiana from these sources:
- IHSAA Conferences
- IHSAA Directory
