The Little Ten Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, formed in 1925 and reorganizing into the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference in 1970.
History
Formation and Sustained Stability (1925-1959)
The Little Ten Conference was founded in 1925 by ten medium- to smaller-sized schools in south central Wisconsin: Beaver Dam, Berlin, Columbus, Hartford Union, Horicon, Mayville, Portage, Ripon, Watertown and Waupun.[1] The conference went through a few membership changes during its first few seasons, starting with the loss of Portage to the South Central Conference in 1926[2][3] and Watertown to the Southern Six in 1928.[4][5] The conference added West Bend in 1929[6][7] and Oconomowoc in 1930 to bring conference membership back up to ten.[8] Membership would remain consistent until 1959, when Arrowhead joined from the Southeastern Wisconsin Conference and Watertown rejoined from the Braveland Conference.[9]
Division Split and Reformation (1959-1970)
With conference membership increasing to twelve, the Little Ten subdivided into Northern and Southern Divisions for the 1959-60 school year:[10]
Northern Little Ten | Southern Little Ten |
---|---|
Berlin | Arrowhead |
Columbus | Beaver Dam |
Horicon | Hartford Union |
Mayville | Oconomowoc |
Ripon | Watertown |
Waupun | West Bend |
In 1965, Arrowhead left to join the Southeastern Badger Conference,[11][12] bringing conference membership to eleven. By the late 1960s, increasing gaps in enrollment between the smaller schools in the Northern Little Ten and the larger schools in the Southern Little Ten were creating problems with competitive balance, and the schools in the Southern Little Ten began looking to secede from the conference.[13][14][15] The conference officially subdivided into two separate conferences in 1966[16] and both conferences completely disbanded in 1970. The five Southern Little Ten members (six with the split of West Bend into East and West)[17] joined with Waupun, who had the highest enrollment in the Northern Little Ten,[18] to form the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference.[19] The five schools in the Northern Little Ten disbanded to find other conferences with schools more similar in enrollment size.[20][21]
Conference Membership History
Notes
- ^ Split into West Bend East and West Bend West High Schools prior to the 1970-71 school year.
Membership Timeline

List of State Champions
Fall Sports
None
Winter Sports
School | Year | Division |
---|---|---|
Watertown | 1928 | Single Division |
Mayville | 1935 | Class B |
Beaver Dam | 1937 | Class B |
Spring Sports
School | Year | Division |
---|---|---|
West Bend | 1951 | Single Division |
Oconomowoc | 1959 | Single Division |
School | Year | Division |
---|---|---|
Berlin | 1931 | Class B |
West Bend | 1934 | Class B |
Horicon | 1937 | Class C |
Horicon | 1938 | Class C |
Horicon | 1939 | Class C |
Horicon | 1954 | Class C |
Horicon | 1959 | Class C |
Berlin | 1961 | Class B |
Arrowhead | 1965 | Class B |
Ripon | 1968 | Class B |
References
- ^ "Little Ten Session: Schedules Arranged for 1926". Beaver Dam Daily Citizen. December 7, 1925. p. 6. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ ""Little Ten" Conference Announces Grid Schedule". Wisconsin State Journal. September 24, 1926. p. 20. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Portage Wins as Usual: South Central Conference Championship to Local High School". Portage Daily Register. November 22, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "11 Tilts Booked in New Circuit". The Stoughton Courier. September 17, 1928. p. 6. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Watertown Leads New Gridiron League". Wisconsin State Journal. October 24, 1928. p. 16. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Application of West Bend for Membership May Place 10 Teams in Conference Again". Waupun Leader. November 22, 1928. p. 4. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "West Bend Taken Into Little Ten". Beaver Dam Daily Citizen. March 27, 1929. p. 1. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Newest Conference School to Play in Loop After January". Waupun Leader-News. May 22, 1930. p. 9. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Little Ten Opens Way to Expansion to 12". The Horicon Reporter. May 8, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Two Divisions". The Capital Times. May 22, 1958. p. 38. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ Engelbert, John (October 2, 1964). "Taking Sides". Waukesha County Freeman. p. 8. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Hawks Keep Promise, Produce Surprises". Waukesha County Freeman. November 23, 1964. p. 14. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Schools Discuss Revamping". The Shebyogan Press. October 20, 1964. p. 17. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ Engelhart, John (May 17, 1966). "Taking Sides". Waukesha County Freeman. p. 15. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Southern Little Ten Invites 4 Schools to Meet". Beaver Dam Daily Citizen. November 22, 1968. p. 4. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Little Ten Season Over". The Horicon Reporter. June 9, 1966. p. 35. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "West Bend To Have Two Athletic Teams - Little Ten Increases to Six". The Oconomowoc Enterprise. May 1, 1969. p. 26. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ Cotton, Ken (May 20, 1969). "Ken Cotton's Cotton Pickings - Ripon Area Rundown". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 31. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ Associated Press (March 12, 1970). "Waupun". The Horicon Reporter. p. 32. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ Cotton, Ken (April 7, 1969). "Ken Cotton's Cotton Pickin's - Ripon Area Rundown". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 19. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Two drop out of Little 10". Portage Daily Register. June 23, 1969. p. 8. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
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