Draft:Braveland Conference

  • Comment: Mostly uncited, and does not yet show enough references to sources such that it demonstrates WP:Notability. The lack of citations gives me cause for WP:OR concerns. Bobby Cohn (talk) 19:57, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

The Braveland Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, formed in 1953 and ending competition in 1993.

History

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Formation (1953–1955)

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The Braveland Conference was formed in 1953 by four high schools in the outer suburbs of Milwaukee: Cedarburg, Menomonee Falls, Port Washington and Watertown.[1] Cedarburg and Menomonee Falls had previously been members of the 4-C Conference from 1935-1953, and Port Washington and Watertown competed as independents before joining.

Rapid Growth (1955–1963)

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Due to the rapid growth around the Milwaukee area, new school districts began to pop up in and around Milwaukee County. In 1955, Salem Central (now Westosha Central) joined the conference, followed by Brookfield (now Brookfield Central) and Nicolet in 1956. Salem Central ended up leaving the conference in 1958, only to be replaced by Granville (now Brown Deer), Greenfield and Muskego. Homestead and Oak Creek joined the following season, just as Watertown was leaving to rejoin the Little Ten Conference. In 1962, the conference added four schools: Brookfield East, St. Francis, Sussex Hamilton and Whitnall. During that same year, the conference split into two seven-team divisions:

Northern Division Southern Division
Brookfield Central Brookfield East
Cedarburg Greenfield
Granville Muskego
Homestead Oak Creek
Menomonee Falls St. Francis
Nicolet Sussex Hamilton
Port Washington Whitnall

Conference Split and Sustained Membership (1963–1980)

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Having ballooned to fourteen members by its tenth season of competition, five conference members left the Braveland to form the Parkland Conference: Greenfield, Muskego, Oak Creek, St. Francis and Whitnall (along with former Suburban Conference member Greendale and former independents Franklin and New Berlin). This solidified the Braveland Conference from a geographical standpoint as a conference for northern suburban schools in the Milwaukee area. In 1966, Granville High School changed its name to Brown Deer High School due to annexation of the former town of Granville into the city of Milwaukee a few years earlier. Conference membership increased to ten members in 1969 with the split of Menomonee Falls High School into Menomonee Falls East and Menomonee Falls North.

WIAA-Mandated Realignment (1980–1985)

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Discussions between the Milwaukee area conferences on realignment first started in the 1960s,[2] but it wasn't until the early 1980s that the WIAA stepped in and hastened the process. Four new schools joined the Braveland in 1980: Arrowhead, Germantown and Grafton from the Scenic Moraine Conference and Kenosha Bradford from the South Shore Conference. Kenosha Bradford would leave the conference three years later, and in 1984, the two Menomonee Falls high schools merged to form a new Menomonee Falls High School on East's campus.

Final Realignment and Collapse (1985–1993)

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In 1985, another round of conference realignment had occurred in the Milwaukee area, and seven schools left the Braveland Conference. Brown Deer left for the Parkland Conference, and six schools (Cedarburg, Germantown, Grafton, Homestead, Nicolet and Port Washington) left to form the North Shore Conference (along with former Suburban Conference members Shorewood, Wauwatosa East, Wauwatosa West and Whitefish Bay). Replacing the seven schools exiting the conference were Mukwonago from the Parkland and Waukesha North and Waukesha South from the Suburban Conference. For the final eight years of the conference's existence, all of its member schools were located in Waukesha County.

Conference Membership History

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School Location Mascot Colors Joined Left Conference Joined Current Conference
Cedarburg Cedarburg, WI Bulldogs     1953 1985 North Shore
Menomonee Falls North[a] Menomonee Falls, WI Indians     1953 1984 Merged with Menomonee Falls East
Port Washington Port Washington, WI Pirates     1953 1985 North Shore
Watertown Watertown, WI Goslings     1953 1959 Little Ten Badger
Salem Central[b] Paddock Lake, WI Falcons     1955 1958 Southeastern Wisconsin Southern Lakes
Brookfield Central[c] Brookfield, WI Lancers     1956 1993 Woodland Greater Metro
Nicolet Glendale, WI Knights     1956 1985 North Shore
Brown Deer[d] Brown Deer, WI Falcons     1958 1985 Parkland Woodland
Greenfield Greenfield, WI Hustlin' Hawks     1958 1963 Parkland Woodland
Muskego Muskego, WI Warriors     1958 1963 Parkland Classic Eight
Homestead Mequon, WI Highlanders     1959 1985 North Shore
Oak Creek Oak Creek, WI Knights     1959 1963 Parkland Southeast
Brookfield East Brookfield, WI Spartans     1962 1993 Woodland Greater Metro
St. Francis St. Francis, WI Mariners     1962 1963 Parkland Midwest Classic
Sussex Hamilton Sussex, WI Chargers     1962 1993 Parkland Greater Metro
Whitnall Greenfield, WI Falcons     1962 1963 Parkland Woodland
Menomonee Falls East Menomonee Falls, WI Titans     1969 1984 Merged with Menomonee Falls North
Arrowhead Hartland, WI Warhawks     1980 1993 Southeast Classic Eight
Germantown Germantown, WI Warhawks     1980 1985 North Shore
Grafton Grafton, WI Black Hawks     1980 1985 North Shore
Kenosha Bradford Kenosha, WI Red Devils     1980 1983 Milwaukee Area Southeast
Menomonee Falls Menomonee Falls, WI Phoenix     1984 1993 North Shore Greater Metro
Mukwonago Mukwonago, WI Indians     1985 1993 Southeast Classic Eight
Waukesha North Waukesha, WI Stars     1985 1993 Southeast Classic Eight
Waukesha South Waukesha, WI Blackshirts     1985 1993 Southeast Classic Eight

Notes

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  1. ^ Menomonee Falls North High School was known as Menomonee Falls High School prior to 1969.
  2. ^ Salem Central High School is currently known as Westosha Central High School.
  3. ^ Brookfield Central High School was known as Brookfield High School from 1956-1962.
  4. ^ Brown Deer High School was known as Granville Union High School from 1958-1966.

References

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  1. ^ "Organize New Athletic Loop". Waukesha Freeman. October 5, 1953. p. 9. Retrieved October 22, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "The Great, Historic Suburban Conference". Whitefish Bay Track and Field History. March 29, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)