Metro Conference (Wisconsin)

The Metro Conference is a former high school athletic conference in Wisconsin, formed in 1974 and dissolving in 1997. It consisted entirely of private high schools in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, and most were Catholic high schools within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

History

30km
19miles

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Location of Original Metro Conference Members

The Metro Conference was formed in 1974 as the successor to the Milwaukee Catholic Conference^[1] and had twelve original members. It was formed in the wake of the successful application by Milwaukee Lutheran High School to join the Milwaukee Catholic Conference in the early 1970s.^[2] All of its member schools competed under the banner of the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association, an organization for private high school athletic programs in the state of Wisconsin.^[3]

The conference maintained a very consistent membership roster during its existence, only losing three members: St. John's Cathedral in 1976 (due to closing), Messmer in 1984^[4]^[5] (due to nearly closing and exit from archdiocese) and St. Joan Antida in 1989 (joined the Midwest Classic Conference). The Metro Conference was very successful at state-level competitions within WISAA, with its most high-profile successes coming in basketball. During its twenty-three-year history, Metro Conference member schools won twenty boys and eighteen girls WISAA basketball championships.^[6]

After the 1994 football season, the Metro Conference lost both St. Catherine's and St. Joseph to the new Wisconsin Independent Football Association, leaving the conference with six football members.^[7] The Metro Conference was disbanded in 1997 in anticipation for the coming merger between WISAA and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, the state's high school athletics organization for public schools.^[8] All of its member schools went to established WIAA conferences after the 1996-97 school year.^[9]

Conference membership history

Final members

School	Location	Affiliation	Mascot	Joined	Left	Conference Joined	Current Conference
Catholic Memorial	Waukesha, WI	Private (Catholic)	Crusaders	1974	1997	Classic Eight
Divine Savior Holy Angels	Milwaukee, WI	Private (Catholic)	Dashers	1974	1997	Greater Metro
Dominican	Whitefish Bay, WI	Private (Catholic, Sinsinawa Dominicans)	Knights	1974	1997	Parkland	Metro Classic
Marquette University	Milwaukee, WI	Private (Catholic, Jesuit)	Hilltoppers	1974	1997	Greater Metro
Milwaukee Lutheran	Milwaukee, WI	Private (Lutheran, LCMS)	Red Knights	1974	1997	North Shore	Woodland
Pius XI	Milwaukee, WI	Private (Catholic)	Popes	1974	1997	Classic Eight	Woodland
St. Catherine's	Racine, WI	Private (Catholic, Dominican)	Angels	1974	1997	Lakeshore	Metro Classic
St. Joseph	Kenosha, WI	Private (Catholic)	Lancers	1974	1997	Lakeshore	Metro Classic
Thomas More	Milwaukee, WI	Private (Catholic)	Cavaliers	1974	1997	Woodland	Metro Classic

Previous members

School	Location	Affiliation	Mascot	Joined	Left	Conference Joined	Current Conference
Messmer	Milwaukee, WI	Private (Catholic)	Bishops	1974	1984	Independent	Midwest Classic
St. Joan Antida	Milwaukee, WI	Private (Catholic)	Jaguars	1974	1989	Midwest Classic	Lake City
St. John's Cathedral	Milwaukee, WI	Private (Catholic)	Eagles	1974	1976	Closed in 1976

Membership timeline

Full members

Football members

List of state championships

Fall sports

Boys Cross Country
School	Year	Organization	Division
Thomas More	1974	WISAA	Class A
St. Catherine's	1975	WISAA	Class A
Thomas More	1976	WISAA	Class A
Thomas More	1978	WISAA	Class A
Thomas More	1980	WISAA	Class A
Thomas More	1981	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1984	WISAA	Class A
St. Catherine's	1985	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1986	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1987	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1988	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1989	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1990	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1991	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1992	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1993	WISAA	Division 1
Marquette University	1994	WISAA	Division 1
Marquette University	1995	WISAA	Division 1
St. Catherine's	1996	WISAA	Division 1

Girls Cross Country
School	Year	Organization	Division
Catholic Memorial	1980	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1981	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1982	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1983	WISAA	Class A
Dominican	1984	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1985	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1988	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1989	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1991	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1992	WISAA	Division 1
Catholic Memorial	1993	WISAA	Division 1
Catholic Memorial	1994	WISAA	Division 1
Catholic Memorial	1995	WISAA	Division 1

Football
School	Year	Organization	Division
Marquette University	1975	WISAA
Thomas More	1976	WISAA	Class A
Thomas More	1977	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1979	WISAA	Class A
Thomas More	1981	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1982	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1985	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1987	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1988	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1989	WISAA	Division 1
Dominican	1990	WISAA	Division 2
Catholic Memorial	1993	WISAA	Division 1
Marquette University	1994	WISAA	Division 1
Catholic Memorial	1996	WISAA	Division 1

Golf
School	Year	Organization
St. Catherine's	1974	WISAA
Pius XI	1976	WISAA
Marquette University	1982	WISAA
Marquette University	1983	WISAA
Marquette University	1992	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1993	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1994	WISAA

Boys Soccer
School	Year	Organization	Division
Marquette University	1979	WISAA
Pius XI	1980	WISAA
Marquette University	1981	WISAA
Marquette University	1982	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1983	WISAA
Marquette University	1984	WISAA
Marquette University	1985	WISAA
Marquette University	1986	WISAA
Pius XI	1988	WISAA
Marquette University	1989	WISAA
Marquette University	1990	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1991	WISAA
Marquette University	1992	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1993	WISAA	Division 1
Marquette University	1994	WISAA	Division 1
Marquette University	1995	WISAA	Division 1
Marquette University	1996	WISAA	Division 1

Girls Tennis
School	Year	Organization
Dominican	1978	WISAA
Dominican	1979	WISAA
DSHA	1992	WISAA
DSHA	1993	WISAA
DSHA	1994	WISAA
DSHA	1996	WISAA

Volleyball
School	Year	Organization	Division
Dominican	1974	WISAA
Milwaukee Lutheran	1975	WISAA
Dominican	1976	WISAA
Milwaukee Lutheran	1977	WISAA
St. Catherine's	1978	WISAA
Dominican	1979	WISAA
Pius XI	1981	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1982	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1983	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1984	WISAA	Class A
DSHA	1985	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1986	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1987	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1988	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1989	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1990	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1991	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1992	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1993	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1994	WISAA	Division 1

Winter sports

Boys Basketball
School	Year	Organization	Division
Pius XI	1975	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1976	WISAA	Class A
St. Catherine's	1977	WISAA	Class A
Dominican	1978	WISAA	Class A
Dominican	1979	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1980	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1981	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1983	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1984	WISAA	Class A
St. Catherine's	1985	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1986	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1987	WISAA	Class A
Thomas More	1988	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1989	WISAA	Class A
Dominican	1991	WISAA	Class A
St. Catherine's	1992	WISAA	Division 1
St. Catherine's	1993	WISAA	Division 1
Marquette University	1994	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1996	WISAA	Division 1
Dominican	1997	WISAA	Division 1

Girls Basketball
School	Year	Organization	Division
St. Catherine's	1976	WISAA
Milwaukee Lutheran	1977	WISAA
St. Catherine's	1979	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1980	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1982	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1983	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1984	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1985	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1986	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1987	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1988	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1989	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1990	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1991	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1992	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1993	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1995	WISAA	Division 1
DSHA	1996	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1997	WISAA	Division 1

Wrestling
School	Year	Organization
Thomas More	1975	WISAA
St. Joseph	1978	WISAA
Pius XI	1979	WISAA
Marquette University	1980	WISAA
Marquette University	1981	WISAA
Marquette University	1982	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1991	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1992	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1995	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1996	WISAA

Spring sports

Baseball
School	Year	Organization
St. Catherine's	1975	WISAA
St. Catherine's	1976	WISAA
St. Joseph	1977	WISAA
Thomas More	1981	WISAA
Marquette University	1982	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1983	WISAA
St. Joseph	1988	WISAA
St. Catherine's	1989	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1990	WISAA
Marquette University	1992	WISAA
Marquette University	1993	WISAA
Pius XI	1994	WISAA
Marquette University	1995	WISAA
Thomas More	1996	WISAA
Marquette University	1997	WISAA

Girls Soccer
School	Year	Organization
Pius XI	1987	WISAA
DSHA	1988	WISAA
Pius XI	1989	WISAA
Pius XI	1990	WISAA
Pius XI	1991	WISAA
Pius XI	1992	WISAA
DSHA	1993	WISAA
Pius XI	1994	WISAA
Pius XI	1995	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1996	WISAA
Pius XI	1997	WISAA

Softball
School	Year	Organization	Division
St. Catherine's	1977	WISAA
Milwaukee Lutheran	1978	WISAA
St. Joseph	1979	WISAA
Pius XI	1980	WISAA
DSHA	1981	WISAA
Dominican	1982	WISAA
Catholic Memorial	1983	WISAA
Pius XI	1986	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1989	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1990	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1991	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1992	WISAA	Division 1
St. Catherine's	1993	WISAA	Division 1
St. Catherine's	1994	WISAA	Division 1
Pius XI	1995	WISAA	Division 1

Boys Tennis
School	Year	Organization
Marquette University	1981	WISAA
Marquette University	1982	WISAA
Marquette University	1983	WISAA
Marquette University	1984	WISAA
Marquette University	1985	WISAA
Marquette University	1986	WISAA
Marquette University	1988	WISAA
Marquette University	1989	WISAA
Marquette University	1990	WISAA
Marquette University	1991	WISAA
Marquette University	1992	WISAA
Marquette University	1993	WISAA
Marquette University	1994	WISAA
Marquette University	1995	WISAA
Marquette University	1996	WISAA
Marquette University	1997	WISAA

Boys Track & Field
School	Year	Organization	Division
Pius XI	1975	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1976	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1977	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1978	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1979	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1982	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1983	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1984	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1985	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1986	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1988	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1989	WISAA	Class A
Marquette University	1990	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1991	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1992	WISAA	Division 1
Marquette University	1995	WISAA	Division 1
Catholic Memorial	1996	WISAA	Division 1

Girls Track & Field
School	Year	Organization	Division
Pius XI	1979	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1980	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1981	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1982	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1983	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1984	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1985	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1986	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1987	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1988	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1989	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1990	WISAA	Class A
Catholic Memorial	1991	WISAA	Class A
Pius XI	1992	WISAA	Division 1
Catholic Memorial	1993	WISAA	Division 1
Catholic Memorial	1994	WISAA	Division 1
Catholic Memorial	1995	WISAA	Division 1
St. Joseph	1995	WISAA	Division 2
Catholic Memorial	1996	WISAA	Division 1

List of conference champions

Boys Basketball

School	Quantity	Years
Marquette University	10	1975, 1976, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994
Dominican	5	1978, 1979, 1980, 1991, 1997
Thomas More	4	1977, 1982, 1987, 1988
Pius XI	3	1995, 1996, 1997
Catholic Memorial	2	1987, 1993
St. Catherine's	2	1977, 1992
Messmer	1	1982
Milwaukee Lutheran	1	1985
St. Joseph	1	1984
St. John's Cathedral	0

Girls Basketball

School	Quantity	Years
Pius XI	18	1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
St. Catherine's	3	1976, 1977, 1979
Milwaukee Lutheran	1	1978
Catholic Memorial	0
Dominican	0
DSHA	0
Messmer	0
St. Joan Antida	0
St. John's Cathedral	0
St. Joseph	0
Thomas More	0

Football

School	Quantity	Years
Marquette University	9	1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996
Catholic Memorial	6	1982, 1983, 1984, 1991, 1993, 1996
Thomas More	5	1974, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981
St. Catherine's	3	1975, 1977, 1978
Pius XI	1	1992
Dominican	0
Messmer	0
Milwaukee Lutheran	0
St. John's Cathedral	0
St. Joseph	0

References

↑ "New School, Name for Catholic League". Waukesha Daily Freeman. December 19, 1973. p. 11. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
↑ Anderson, John (December 19, 1973). "Catholic Conference Changes Name, Adds Milwaukee Lutheran". Racine Journal Times. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
↑ Pickett, Jim (March 3, 1968). "On the Fence with Jim Pickett (Catholic, Private School Merger)". The La Crosse Tribune. p. 19. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
↑ Associated Press (February 11, 1984). "School will close". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
↑ Associated Press (August 10, 1984). "School bought by parents". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 4. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
↑ Associated Press (March 6, 1997). "Metro in position to finish on top". Stevens Point Journal. p. 17. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
↑ Mancosky, George (October 19, 1994). "Zephyrs join new grid league". Appleton Post-Crescent. p. 20. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
↑ Anderson, Eric (April 24, 1997). "WIAA easily approves merger with WISAA". Racine Journal Times. pp. 1D. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
↑ Associated Press (March 6, 1997). "Last hurrah at hand for Metro Conference". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 10. Retrieved November 13, 2024.

[1] "New School, Name for Catholic League". Waukesha Daily Freeman. December 19, 1973. p. 11. Retrieved November 12, 2024.

[2] Anderson, John (December 19, 1973). "Catholic Conference Changes Name, Adds Milwaukee Lutheran". Racine Journal Times. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2024.

[3] Pickett, Jim (March 3, 1968). "On the Fence with Jim Pickett (Catholic, Private School Merger)". The La Crosse Tribune. p. 19. Retrieved November 13, 2024.

[4] Associated Press (February 11, 1984). "School will close". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2024.

[5] Associated Press (August 10, 1984). "School bought by parents". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 4. Retrieved November 12, 2024.

[6] Associated Press (March 6, 1997). "Metro in position to finish on top". Stevens Point Journal. p. 17. Retrieved November 13, 2024.

[7] Mancosky, George (October 19, 1994). "Zephyrs join new grid league". Appleton Post-Crescent. p. 20. Retrieved July 18, 2025.

[8] Anderson, Eric (April 24, 1997). "WIAA easily approves merger with WISAA". Racine Journal Times. pp. 1D. Retrieved November 12, 2024.

[9] Associated Press (March 6, 1997). "Last hurrah at hand for Metro Conference". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 10. Retrieved November 13, 2024.

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Wisconsin high school athletic conferences
Organizations	WIAA (1895-present) WISAA (1968-2000) WCIAA (1957-1968)
Current	Badger Bay Big East Big Eight Big Rivers Capitol Central Wisconsin Classic 8 Cloverbelt Coulee Dairyland Dunn-St. Croix Eastern Wisconsin Fox River Classic Fox Valley Association Glacier Trails Great Northern Greater Metro Heart O'North Indian Trails Lake City Lakeland Marawood Marinette & Oconto Metro Classic Middle Border Midwest Classic Milwaukee City Mississippi Valley North Eastern North Shore Northern Lakes Northern Lights Packerland Park Ridge Ridge & Valley Rock Valley Scenic Bluffs Six Rivers South Central Southeast Southern Lakes Southwest Wisconsin SWAL Trailways Wisconsin Flyway Wisconsin Valley Woodland
Former	3-C (1928-1962) 4-C (1934-1953) 7-C (1926-1962) 10-12 (1946-1948) Badger Lutheran (1961-1964) Baraboo Valley (1928-1929) Bay-Lakes (1970-1979) Bi-County (1928-1959) Big Nine (1985-1993) Black Hawk (1930-1997) Braveland (1953-1993) Central Lakes (1951-1962) Central Lakeshore (1969-2015) Central State (1962-1984) Central Wisconsin Catholic (1956-2000) Classic (1973-1983) Dual County (1926-2001) East Central (1970-2001) East Central (2015-2025) East Central Flyway (2001-2007) Eastern Suburban (1969-2001) Eastern Valley (2007-2015) Eastern Wisconsin (1923-1970) Flambeau (1939-1970) Flambeau-Soo (1942-1947) Flambeauland (1946-1955) Flyway (1970-2001) Fox River Valley (1923-2007) Fox Valley Catholic (1929-1971) Fox Valley Christian (1971-1999) Fox Valley Tri-County (1924-1970) Gateway (1941-1952) Granite Valley (1945-1951) Granite Valley (1954-1960) Head of the Lakes (1918-1954) I-W League (1960-1964) Iowa County (1927-1960) Juneau County (1926-1958) Kettle Moraine (1928-1969) Kickapoo Valley (1907-1971) Lakeshore (1997-2008) Little Eight (1926-1937) Little Five (1929-1935) Little Nine (1928-1970) Little Seven (1926-1934) Little Ten (1925-1970) Lumberjack (1953-2008) Madison City (1923-2017) Madison Suburban (1926-1969) Marathon County (1928-1949) Menominee Valley (1945-1947) Metro (1974-1997) Michigan-Wisconsin (1937-1973) Mid-Eastern (1952-1970) Mid-Valley (1946-1950) Midwest Prep (1940-1983) Milwaukee Catholic (1930-1974) Mississippi Valley (1933-1965) Mississippi Valley Triangular (1936-1940) Monroe-Vernon (1928-1958) Nicolet (1938-1942) Northeastern Wisconsin (1927-1970) Northern Wisconsin (1955-1956) Northwest Border (1940-1956) Olympian (1970-2015) Parkland (1963-2006) Peninsula (1933-1970) Rock River Valley (1922-1952) Scenic Central (1958-1979) Scenic Moraine (1958-1980) Soo Line (1931-1943) South Central (1926-1941) South Shore (1970-1980) Southeastern Badger (1963-1970) Southeastern Wisconsin (1928-1963) Southern Eight (1971-1987) Southern Five (1928-1946) Southern Regional (1937-1958) Southern Six (1928-1941) Southern Ten (1941-1952) State Line (1927-1997) Suburban (1925-1985) Suburban Park (1985-1993) SWANI (1946-1952) SWAPS (1957-1961) SWISS (1982-2006) Trempealeau Valley (1927-1959) Tri-County (1923-1963) Upper St. Croix Valley (1934-1994) Upper Wisconsin (1926-1939) Vacationland (1966-1970) Valley 8 (1999-2007) Valley-Ridge (1934-1935) West Central (1941-1952) West Central (1959-1977) West Grant (1930-1960) Western Wisconsin (1931-1937) Wisconsin Little Ten (1970-2017) Wisconsin River (1928-1960) Wisconsin Seminary (1963-1969) Wolf River Valley (1932-1970) Wood County (1925-1942)
Football-only	856 (1953-1956) Across the Bay (2022-present) Chequamegon Forest (1960-1968) Chippewa-Black River Valley (1929-1944) Cloverwood (2008-2019) CWC-8 (2020-2023) Eastern Suburban (2020-present) Fox Valley Classic (Spring 2021) Lower Fox (1933-1936) MONLPC (2017-2021) North Central-8 (2024-present) Northeast-8 (2024-present) Northern Border (2022-2023) Northwest Football League (1994-1995) Northwoods (2020-present) Olympian-Packerland (2007-2014) Southeast-8 (2024-present) Southern Dairyland (1959-1962) Suburban Six-Man (1939-1957) Top of Wisconsin (1969-1982) Tri-County Football (1934-1944) Tri-Valley (1953-1958) Valley Football Association (2011-2023) WCFC (1997-1998) WIFA (1995-1998)
Other single-sport	Badgerland Hockey (1984-present) Bay-Valley Lacrosse (2024-present) Eastern Shores Hockey (2010-present) IHSHL (1990-1999) North Central Hockey (1973-1997) Northwest Central Hockey (1991-2010) Northwest Hockey (1976-1989) Suburban Classic Hockey (1995-2000) Western Wisconsin Hockey (2025-present)