Big North Conference (Michigan)


The Big North Conference is a high school conference based in northern Michigan, and is affiliated with the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Created in 1997 after the split of Traverse City High School into Central and West High School. It combined the eight largest schools in Northern Michigan. In 2004, due to decreasing enrollment Cheboygan and Sault Area left the conference. They were replaced in 2011 with West Branch Ogemaw Heights, but they left the conference after the 2015-16 school year due to decreasing enrollment as well.

Member schools

SchoolMascotColorsClass CityCountyYear joinedPrevious league
Alpena High SchoolWildcats A AlpenaAlpena1997Great Lakes Athletic Conference
Cadillac High SchoolVikings B CadillacWexford1997North Central Conference
Central High SchoolTrojans A Traverse CityGrand Traverse1997Great Lakes Athletic Conference
Gaylord High SchoolBlue Devils A GaylordOtsego1997Michigan Huron Shores Conference
Petoskey High SchoolNorthmen A PetoskeyEmmet1997Michigan Huron Shores Conference
West Senior High SchoolTitans A Traverse CityGrand Traverse1997None

Former schools

Membership timeline


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Period = from:1997 till:2020
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width:20 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:m
bar:1 color:green from:1997 till:2020 text:Alpena Senior High School
bar:2 color:green from:1997 till:2020 text:Cadillac Senior High School
bar:3 color:green from:1997 till:2020 text:Central High School
bar:4 color:green from:1997 till:2004 text:Cheboygan Area High School
bar:5 color:green from:1997 till:2020 text:Gaylord High School
bar:6 color:green from:2004 till:2011 text:Ogemaw Heights High School
bar:7 color:green from:1997 till:2020 text:Petoskey High School
bar:8 color:green from:1997 till:2020 text:West Senior High School
bar:9 color:green from:1997 till:2004 text:Sault Area High School

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text:"Big North Conference Membership History"

Football champions

From 1997 to 1999 the Big North had a A division and a B division
YearA ChampionRecordB ChampionRecord
1997Traverse City West7–2–0 Petoskey8–1–0
1998Traverse City West6–3 Petoskey9–2
1999Traverse City West5–4 Sault Ste. Marie7–3

Since 2000, the conference has operated with one division.
YearChampionRecord
2000Cadillac9–1
2001Gaylord9–1
2002Gaylord11–1
2003Traverse City West7–3
2004Traverse City West10–1
2005Gaylord6–3
2005Traverse City Central6–4
2006Traverse City West6–4
2007Traverse City Central5–4
2007Traverse City West6–4
2008Petoskey9–2
2008Traverse City West6–4
2009Cadillac8–2
2010Petoskey8–2
2010Traverse City West6–4
2011Petoskey9–2
2012Traverse City Central9–2
2013Cadillac11–1
2014Cadillac9–1
2015Traverse City Central9–1
2016Traverse City Central9–2
2017Traverse City West9–2
2018Traverse City West7–3