Lake Athletic Conference

The Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) was a high school athletic conference serving members of the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The LAC existed in multiple guises from the fall of 1969 through the spring of 2007, at which time it comprised sixteen member high schools. The conference took its name from all its early members being located in Lake County, Indiana

History

The Lake Athletic Conference began as the Tri-City Conference in 1968, changing its name to the Indiana Lake Shore Conference the next year. The conference was formed by the non-Gary schools in the Northwestern Conference at that point. The eight founding schools were: Clark, Gavit, Hammond, Morton, and Tech from Hammond, Roosevelt and Washington from East Chicago, and Whiting High School. The conference would reach its largest size four years later, as Bishop Noll joined, putting the conference at eight football schools and nine total schools (Whiting would compete as an independent in football until 1993).

The conference would lose schools in the 1980s, eventually ending up with six members (five in football). Hammond Tech would close in 1981, and Roosevelt and Washington would combine to form East Chicago Central in 1986. ECC would leave after that year. These remaining schools would band together with four schools from the Lake Suburban Conference to form the Lake 10 Conference.

The Lake 10 was initially split into two enrollment divisions in football only. However, this would only last for five years before the conference would expand to 13 schools and rebrand itself as the LAC. The league added two schools from the Northwest Hoosier Conference and Andrean, who had been independent since leaving the Northwestern in 1975. Three more schools would join in 2003, giving the LAC 16 teams for its final four seasons.

In 2006 it was announced the LAC would disband following the 2006-'07 school year. The schools would split into three conferences. The Northwest Crossroads Conference comprises Andrean, Griffith, Highland, Hobart, Kankakee Valley, Lowell, and Munster. The Greater South Shore Conference is home to Bishop Noll, Calumet, Lake Station, Wheeler, and Whiting; joining these schools are Michigan City Marquette Catholic, North Newton, and River Forest; and South Central, a member of the Porter County Conference, joined in football only, as Marquette does not have a football team. The Hammond City Schools - Clark, Gavit, Hammond High, and Morton - formed the Great Lakes Athletic Conference, after failing to find acceptance in another conference.

Membership

School Location Mascot Colors County Year Joined Previous Conference Year Left Conference Joined
Hammond Clark Hammond Pioneers           45
Lake		 1968 Northwestern 2007 Great Lakes
Hammond Gavit Hammond Gladiators           45
Lake		 1968 Northwestern 2007 Great Lakes
Hammond Hammond Wildcats           45
Lake		 1968 Northwestern 2007 Great Lakes
Hammond Morton Hammond Governors           45
Lake		 1968 Northwestern 2007 Great Lakes
East Chicago Roosevelt East Chicago Roughriders           45
Lake		 1968 Northwestern 1986 none (consolidated into
East Chicago Central)
Hammond Tech Hammond Tigers           45
Lake		 1968 Northwestern 1981 none (school closed)
East Chicago Washington East Chicago Senators           45
Lake		 1968 Northwestern 1986 none (consolidated into
East Chicago Central)
Whiting Whiting Oilers           45
Lake		 1968 Northwestern 2007 Greater South Shore
Hammond Bishop Noll Hammond Warriors           45
Lake		 1973 Independents 2007 Greater South Shore
East Chicago Central East Chicago Cardinals                45
Lake		 1986 none (new school) 1987 Independents
Calumet Calumet Township Warriors           45
Lake		 1993 Lake Suburban 2007 Greater South Shore
Griffith Griffith Panthers           45
Lake		 1993 Lake Suburban 2007 Northwest Crossroads
Highland Highland Trojans           45
Lake		 1993 Lake Suburban 2007 Northwest Crossroads
Munster Munster Mustangs           45
Lake		 1993 Lake Suburban 2007 Northwest Crossroads
Andrean Merrillville Fighting '59ers           45
Lake		 1998 Independents 2007 Northwest Crossroads
Lake Station Edison Lake Station Fighting Eagles           45
Lake		 1998 Northwest Hoosier 2007 Greater South Shore
Lowell Lowell Red Devils           45
Lake		 1998 Northwest Hoosier 2007 Northwest Crossroads
Hobart Hobart Brickies           45
Lake		 2003 Duneland 2007 Northwest Crossroads
Kankakee Valley Wheatfield Kougars           37
Jasper		 2003 Independents 2007 Northwest Crossroads
Wheeler Union Township Bearcats           64
Porter		 2003 Porter County 2007 Greater South Shore

Divisions

1993-98 (fb) 1998-2003 2003-07
Black Blue Black Blue Black Blue
Bishop Noll Calumet Andrean Bishop Noll Andrean Bishop Noll
Hammond Clark Griffith Calumet Griffith Calumet
Highland Gavit Hammond Clark Hammond Clark
Morton Griffith Highland Edison Highland Edison
Munster Whiting Lowell Gavit Hobart Gavit
Munster Morton Lowell Kankakee Valley
Whiting Morton Wheeler
Munster Whiting

State Champions

Related links

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