Established 1980 Headquarters Indiana | Members All Class AAA | |
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Region 7 Counties: Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Posey, Warrick, and Wabash of Illinois | ||
The Big Eight Conference is an athletic conference currently comprising six IHSAA Class AAA high schools located in Southwestern Indiana with one IHSA Class AAA member in Southern Illinois. The conference members are small city-based schools located in Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Posey, and Warrick counties in Indiana and Wabash County in Illinois.
Contents
History
The Big Eight Conference was created in 1980 when seven members of the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference (Boonville, Jasper, Mount Vernon, Princeton, Tell City, Vincennes Lincoln, and Washington) left to form a new conference with a member of the Pocket Athletic Conference (Gibson Southern). Gibson Southern left in 1992 to rejoin the PAC and Tell City followed in 2001 also to rejoin the PAC, reducing the Big Eight to six members. Mount Carmel joined in 2003 to increase the membership to seven. Currently Mount Carmel, located in Illinois, is the only school from outside Indiana to compete in an Indiana athletic conference.
Former members
Boonville Pioneers (1)
Jasper Wildcats (8)
Mount Carmel Golden Aces (3)
Princeton Community Tigers (2)
Vincennes Lincoln Alices (3)
Washington Hatchets (9)
Gibson Southern Titans (3)
Football Championships by School
Boys' Basketball Championships
Girls' Basketball Championships
Note: Big Eight Conference championships are determined by a single round-robin among the active members. The Big Eight Conference does not break ties in the standings for championship purposes, instead co-championships are awarded.
Interesting Fact
The Big Eight Conference now has two different members that captured the 3A boys' basketball title in successive years. Washington captured the 2007-08, 2009–10, and 2010–11 State Titles and Princeton captured the 2008-09 State Title. Very rarely has this occurred in the history of the state finals.