The Upstate Illini Conference (UIC) was a high school conference in northwest and north central Illinois. The conference participated in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association. The conference included small public high schools with enrollments between 75-1,000 students in Bureau, Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Kane, Lee, McHenry, Stephenson and Winnebago counties.
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History
The first year of competition was 1991 with schools in Durand, North Boone, Pearl City, Rockford (Lutheran), Elizabeth (River Ridge), South Beloit and Warren in the North and Ashton-Franklin Center, Kirkland-Hiawatha, Milledgeville, Mt. Carroll, Mt. Morris and Polo in the South. The majority of the conference came from the Northwest 8 Conference (Ashton-Franklin Center, Durand, Milledgeville, Mt. Carroll, North Boone, Pearl City, River Ridge, Rockford Lutheran, South Beloit and Warren) which disbanded in 1990.
In 1993 Mt. Morris was merged into the Oregon School District and dropped out of the conference. In the same year, Huntley joined and the divisions were realigned into East - Durand, Huntley, Kirkland-Hiawatha, North Boone, Rockford Lutheran and South Beloit and West - Ashton-Franklin Center, Milledgeville, Mt Carroll, Pearl City, Polo, River Ridge and Warren. In 1995 Huntley dropped out and Pecatonica was added to the East division and East Dubuque, Forreston and La Moille were added to the West Division while Ashton-Franklin Center moved from the West division to the East. In 1996 the Northwest Illinois Conference (NWIC) and Upstate Illini merged under the Upstate Illini banner. Based on these new additions, three divisions were formed West - Dakota, East Dubuque, Galena, Lena-Winslow, Orangeville, River Ridge, Stockton and Warren. East - Ashton-Franklin Center, Durand, Kirkland-Hiawatha, North Boone, Pecatonica, Rockford Lutheran and South Beloit. South - Forreston, Freeport Aquin, Lanark (Eastland), Milledgeville, Mt. Carroll, Pearl City and Polo. In 1999 Savanna was added to the South Division and Rockford Christian Life to the East Division. The year 2000 was the last year under the Upstate Illini name because six schools (Ashton-Franklin Center, Durand, Kirkland-Hiawatha, North Boone, Pecatonica and South Beloit) left in 2001 to form the Four Rivers Conference. Rockford Lutheran and Rockford Christian Life also departed the conference in 2001, seeking competition more suited to their locations and size. The remaining schools realigned under the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference banner.
All-Time Membership
The Upstate Illini Conference had various divisions throughout its history, the list of schools encompasses all of the schools which were once a part of the conference.
*Mount Carroll and Savanna merged with Thomson creating the West Carroll School District in 2006.
**River Ridge High School relocated to Hanover, IL in 2004.
Membership timeline
Full members Full members (non-football) Full members (Football Coop) Other Conference Other Conference