Northern Lakes League

Updated on Oct 01, 2024

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The Northern Lakes League (NLL), is an OHSAA high school athletic conference that was formed in 1956 and comprises eight high schools in Northwest Ohio.

1950s

The league begins for the 1956-57 school year with Anthony Wayne, Genoa, Maumee, Perrysburg, Port Clinton, and Rossford as its charter members. This was the Blue Division of the old Great Northern Conference that had begun in 1945. It would not be known as the Northern Lakes League until 1957.

Eastwood joins in 1959 after being accepted in 1958.

1960s

Elmwood and Lake both join in 1960.

Springfield (Holland HS until 1959) joins in 1962.

Port Clinton switches into the Great Lakes League (the Orange Division of the GNC) in 1963 after winning three football titles in 1957, 1960, and 1962.

1970s

For the 1972-73 school year, Eastwood, Elmwood, and Genoa leave to help form the Suburban Lakes League (SLL), leaving 6 members for a while. Swanton and Napoleon were suggested as replacements.

Southview joins in 1976 after Sylvania High School splits.

Bowling Green leaves the GLL in 1978 to bring the league total to 8.

1980s

The League membership remains consistent

1990s

For the 1996-97 school year, Lake leaves to join the SLL, and is replaced by Northview, who leaves the former Great Lakes League. The football team remained in the GLL for the 1996 season before fully joining at season's end.

Around 1999, Rossford first considered leaving the NLL for a league with members closer in their size. The 9-member SLL offered an opening, but Rossford initially declined.

2000s

In 2008, Rossford sent a letter of interest to be considered as the replacement for Lakota in the SLL, who left for the MAL in 2009. The SLL could not get a 6-out-of-7 vote to accept Rossford, ensuring they would remain a member of the NLL for at least a few more years. The NLL considered adding Clay and Napoleon to make a ten-school league, but a majority vote was not reached to expand.

In May 2009, Rossford's board of education voted unanimously to leave the Northern Lakes League and form the new Northern Buckeye Conference with Eastwood, Genoa, Lake, Otsego, and Woodmore, all schools that were withdrawing from the Suburban Lakes League. Later additions to the NBC included Elmwood and Fostoria. The new league began competition in the fall of 2011.

In June 2009, Napoleon High School accepted the invitation to join the Northern Lakes League in 2011 as the replacement for Rossford.

In August 2009, Maumee's school board voted 3-2 to remain members of the Northern Lakes League and to not accept the NBC's invitation to join their new league.

References

Northern Lakes League Wikipedia

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