Big Twelve Conference (Illinois)

Athletic conference in Central Illinois

This article is about the Big Twelve Conference in Central Illinois. For the Big Twelve in Northern Illinois, see Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference. For the NCAA athletic conference in the Central United States, see Big 12 Conference. For the Brazilian football group, see Big Twelve (Brazilian football).

Big Twelve ConferenceConference| IHSA

|

No. of teams| 11
Region| Central Illinois

10km
6miles

Urbana

Richwoods

Notre Dame

Peoria

Normal West

Normal

Manual

Danville

Champaign

Centennial

Bloomington

Locations of Current Big Twelve Schools

The Big Twelve Conference is a high school athletic conference in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), based in Central Illinois. While the name implies that the conference has twelve schools, there are actually only eleven schools currently active, due to other schools either closing, ending offering varsity athletics, or changing conferences.

The conference was indirectly responsible for the demise of the Capitol Conference in 1983 after voting to remove Springfield High School and add four schools from that conference.

All of the schools in the conference are located in cities on Interstate 74 which runs through central Illinois.

## History

[edit]

The conference origins date back to 1925 with charter schools that included; Bloomington, Champaign, Danville, Stephen Decatur, Lincoln, Jacksonville, Mattoon, Pekin, Peoria Central, Peoria Manual, Springfield, and Urbana. Bloomington left the conference for a period between 1927 and 1932 and Jacksonville left permanently in 1932. Streator joined the league in 1932 and remained until 1958, the same year Pekin, Peoria Central and Peoria Manual departed. In 1983, the conference morphed again with the departure of Springfield High School and the addition of Champaign Centennial, Decatur Eisenhower, Decatur MacArthur, Normal Community, and Rantoul, bringing the total number of teams back to 12.

The league transitioned into a two-division, East-West format with Centennial, Central, Danville, Mattoon, Rantoul and Urbana in the East and Bloomington, Decatur, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Lincoln, and Normal in the West. Lincoln left the conference in 1994, however, Normal Community West entered the league in 1995. Stephen Decatur closed in 1999, bringing membership down to eleven. Rantoul departed in 2004, Mattoon left in 2012 and both Decatur schools, Eisenhower and MacArthur followed suit in 2013.[1][2] Mattoon joined the Apollo Conference in order to play schools of similar size and Eisenhower and MacArthur joined the Central State Eight Conference Both schools were the final two schools from Decatur that remained in the conference, and the member schools of the CS8 are mostly from the Springfield area.[3]

Starting with the 2014-2015 school year, four Peoria schools joined the Big Twelve, with the departure of the two Decatur schools. The four schools who joined are Manual High School, Peoria High School, Peoria Notre Dame High School, and Richwoods High School. [4]

As of today. Champaign Central, Danville, and Urbana are the only continuous members to have stayed in the conference since its inception.

## Member schools

[edit]

### Current Members

[edit]

School  | Town  | Team Name  | Colors  | Joined  | IHSA | Reference

|
|
|
|
|
|

Bloomington High School | Bloomington | Purple Raiders  |  | 1925,

1932

| AA, 2A, 3A  | [5]
Centennial High School | Champaign | Chargers |  | 1983  | AA, 2A, 3A  | [6]
Champaign Central High School | Champaign | Maroons |  | 1925  | AA, 2A, 3A  | [7]
Danville High School | Danville | Vikings |  | 1925  | AA, 2A, 3A  | [8]
Manual High School | Peoria | Rams |  | 1925,

2014

| AA, 2A, 3A  | [9]
Normal Community High School | Normal | Ironmen  |  | 1983  | AA, 2A, 3A  | [10]
Normal Community West High School | Normal | Wildcats |  | 1995  | AA, 2A, 3A  | [11]
Peoria High School | Peoria | Lions |  | 1925,

2014

| AA, 2A, 3A  | [12]
Peoria Notre Dame High School | Peoria | Irish |  | 2014  | AA, 2A, 3A  | [13]
Richwoods High School | Peoria | Knights |  | 2014  | AA, 2A, 3A  | [14]
Urbana High School | Urbana | Tigers |  | 1925  | AA, 2A, 3A  | [15]

### Former Members

[edit]

School  | Town  | Team Name  | Colors  | Year Joined  | Year Left  | Current Conference

|
|
|
|
|
|

Eisenhower High School | Decatur | Panthers |  | 1983  | 2013  | Central State Eight
Jacksonville High School | Jacksonville | Crimsons |  | 1925  | 1932  | Central State Eight
Lincoln High School | Lincoln | Railsplitters |  | 1925  | 1994  | Central State Eight
MacArthur High School | Decatur  | Generals |  | 1983  | 2013  | Central State Eight
Mattoon High School | Mattoon | Green Wave  |  | 1925  | 2012  | Apollo
Pekin High School | Pekin | Dragons |  | 1925  | 1958  | Mid-Illini
Rantoul High School | Rantoul | Eagles |  | 1983  | 2012  | Illini Prairie
Springfield High School | Springfield | Senators |  | 1925  | 1983  | Central State Eight
Stephen Decatur High School | Decatur  | Reds |  | 1925  | 2000  | Closed in 2000
Streator Township High School | Streator | Bulldogs |  | 1932  | 1958  | Illinois Central Eight

### Membership timeline

[edit]

Beginning in 1925, the Big Twelve Conference competes in 11 boys, 13 girls and 13 coed sports and activities within the IHSA.

Big Twelve Conference full members Big Twelve members (non-football)

Left the conference for financial reasons

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Mattoon leaving Big 12 after 2011-12". news-gazette.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
2. ^ reports, H&R staff. "Apollo conference back from brink". herald-review.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
3. ^ http://www.wjbc.com/common/page.php?feed=31&pt=Decatur+schools+leaving+Big+12+Conference&id=38523&is_corp=0[permanent dead link]
4. ^ "Schools covered by The Pantagraph". pantagraph.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
5. ^ "Bloomington (H.S.)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
6. ^ "Champaign (Centennial)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
7. ^ "Champaign (Central)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
8. ^ "Danville (H.S.)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
9. ^ "Peoria (Manual)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 August 2014.
10. ^ "Normal (Community)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
11. ^ "Normal (Community West)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
12. ^ "Peoria (H.S.)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 August 2014.
13. ^ "Peoria (Notre Dame)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 August 2014.
14. ^ "Peoria (Richwoods)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 August 2014.
15. ^ "Urbana (H.S.)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 1 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.

## External links

[edit]

* Illinois High School Association (IHSA) official website

* v
* t
* e

Illinois High School Association

Boys' sports|

* Baseball
* Basketball (championship)
* Bowling
* Cross Country
* Football
* Golf
* Gymnastics
* Soccer
* Swimming and Diving
* Tennis
* Track and Field
* Volleyball
* Water Polo
* Wrestling

Girls' sports|

* Badminton
* Basketball
* Bowling
* Competitive Cheerleading
* Cross Country
* Golf
* Gymnastics
* Soccer
* Softball
* Swimming and Diving
* Tennis
* Track and Field
* Volleyball
* Water Polo

Activities|

* Bass Fishing
* Chess
* Debate
* Drama and Group Interpretation
* Journalism
* Music
* Scholastic Bowl
* Individual Events

Special co-ed activities|

* Wheelchair basketball
* Three-Point Showdown
* Spirit

Emerging sports|

* Boys' and Girls' Lacrosse
* Dance Team

Athletic conferences|

* Apollo
* Big Northern
* Big Twelve
* Black Diamond
* Cahokia
* Central Illinois
* Central State Eight
* Central Suburban
* Chicago Catholic
* Chicago Prairie
* Chicago Prep
* Chicago Public
* Chicagoland Christian
* DuKane
* DuPage Valley
* East Central Illinois
* East Suburban Catholic
* Egyptian Illini
* Fox Valley
* Gateway Metro
* Girls Catholic
* Greater Egyptian
* Heart of Illinois
* Illini Prairie
* Illinois Central Eight
* Independent School
* Inter County
* Interstate Eight
* Kishwaukee River
* Lake Shore
* Lincoln Prairie
* Lincoln Trail
* Little Illini
* Little Okaw Valley
* Little Ten
* Metropolitan Prep
* Mid-Illini
* Mid-Suburban
* Midland Trail
* Mississippi Valley
* MSM
* National Trail
* Noble League
* North Suburban
* Northeastern
* Northern Illinois
* Northern Lake County
* Northwest Upstate Illini
* Pike County
* Prairieland
* River Valley
* Sangamo
* South Central
* South Egyptian
* South Seven
* South Suburban
* Southern Illinois River-to-River
* Southland
* Southwest Prairie
* Southwest Suburban
* Southwestern
* Three Rivers
* Tomahawk
* Tri-County
* Upstate Eight
* Vermilion Valley
* West Central
* West Suburban
* Western Big 6
* Western Illinois Valley

Former conferences|

* Ambraw Valley
* Bi-County
* Big 8
* Big Rivers
* Blackhawk
* B.L.P.
* Bureau Valley
* Capitol
* Cenois
* Chartres
* Central Egyptian Conference
* Coal Belt
* Coal Valley
* Corn Belt
* Cook County
* Des Plaines
* East Okaw
* Eastern Illinois
* Four Rivers
* Heart of Illinois (1970s)
* Illini 8
* Illini Central
* Illini Valley
* Indian Valley
* Kankakee Valley
* La Moine Valley
* Little 6
* Little 7
* Little 8
* Metro Suburban
* Mid-Northern
* Mid State
* Mid-State Six
* Midwest
* Midwestern
* New Salem
* North Central Illinois
* North Egypt
* Northern Illinois Big 12
* Northwest 8
* Northwestern Illinois
* Northwest Suburban
* Okaw Valley
* Olympic
* Quad Cities Metro
* Private School League
* Rock River Valley
* Route 72
* Sangamon Valley
* SHARK
* South Inter-Athletic
* Southern Illini
* Southwest Egyptian
* Spoon River
* Stephenson County
* Suburban
* Suburban Christian
* Suburban Prairie
* Tollway
* Upstate Illini
* US Grant
* Wauseca
* West Prairie Trail
* Western Area
* Western Sun
* Wilco

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