Northern Lakes League

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.

File:2011NorthernLakesLeague.PNG

The member schools of the NLL beginning in fall of 2011.

Current members

School	Nickname	Location	Colors	Type	Enrollment	Middle school(s)	Joined League
Anthony Wayne	Generals	Whitehouse	Blue, White	Public	1,299	Anthony Wayne JHS	1956
Bowling Green	Bobcats	Bowling Green	Red, Gray	Public	1,093	Bowling Green JHS	1978
Maumee	Panthers	Maumee	Purple, Gold	Public	1,056	Gateway MS	1956
Napoleon	Wildcats	Napoleon	Navy, White	Public	866	Napoleon MS	2011
Northview	Wildcats	Sylvania	Black, Yellow,	Public	1,349	Arbor Hills JHS, McCord JHS	1996
Perrysburg	Yellow Jackets	Perrysburg	Black, Old Gold	Public	1,448	Perrysburg JHS	1956
Southview	Cougars	Sylvania	Orange, Brown	Public	1,326	Arbor Hills JHS, McCord JHS, Timberstone JHS	1976
Springfield	Blue Devils	Holland	Blue, White	Public	1,177	Springfield MS	1962

Former members

School	Nickname	Location	Colors	Type	Membership Tenure	Notes
Eastwood	Eagles	Pemberville	Red, White, Columbia	Public	1959–1972	Left for the SLL, now in the NBC
Elmwood	Royals	Bloomdale	Royal Blue, White	Public	1960–1972	Left for the SLL, now in the NBC
Genoa	Comets	Genoa	Maroon, Gray	Public	1956–1972	Left for the SLL, now in the NBC
Lake	Flyers	Millbury	Navy, White, Columbia	Public	1960–1996	Left for the SLL, now in the NBC
Port Clinton	Redskins	Port Clinton	Red, White	Public	1956–1963	Left for the GLL, now in the SBC
Rossford	Bulldogs	Rossford	Maroon, Gray	Public	1956–2011	Left for the NBC

League history

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.

Football champions

File:Northern Lakes League Map.PNG

The member schools of the NLL from 1996-2011.

All-time members of the NLL. Current members are in red, former members are in green.

Year	Champions
1956	Maumee
1957	Port Clinton
1958	Perrysburg
1959	Maumee, Perrysburg
1960	Port Clinton
1961	Perrysburg
1962	Maumee, Port Clinton
1963	Rossford
1964	Rossford
1965	Elmwood
1966	Eastwood
1967	Perrysburg
1968	Rossford
1969	Rossford
1970	Springfield
1971	Lake
1972	Rossford
1973	Anthony Wayne
1974	Anthony Wayne, Maumee, Springfield
1975	Maumee
1976	Anthony Wayne
1977	Perrysburg
1978	Lake
1979	Perrysburg
1980	Perrysburg
1981	Lake, Springfield
1982	Rossford
1983	Lake, Springfield
1984	Bowling Green, Perrysburg
1985	Perrysburg
1986	Maumee
1987	Anthony Wayne
1988	Anthony Wayne, Bowling Green
1989	Rossford
1990	Rossford
1991	Bowling Green, Springfield
1992	Maumee, Southview, Springfield
1993	Springfield, Bowling Green
1994	Springfield, Maumee
1995	Bowling Green
1996	Bowling Green
1997	Bowling Green, Southview
1998	Bowling Green, Southview
1999	Southview
2000	Bowling Green
2001	Maumee, Perrysburg
2002	Rossford
2003	Southview
2004	Southview
2005	Northview, Southview
2006	Perrysburg
2007	Southview
2008	Southview
2009	Maumee, Southview
2010	Southview
2011	Southview
2012	Napoleon
2013	Perrysburg
2014	Perrysburg
2015	Perrysburg

See also

Ohio High School Athletic Conferences

External links

• List of NLL Football Champions
• 5 from SLL join Rossford for new league
• Napoleon replaces Rossford in NLL
• NLL Basketball Standings with 10 Members, Toledo Blade, January 26 1963