History
The Western Big 6 Conference was established in 1969. The conference consisted of four schools from the Quad Cities area, one from Quincy, and one from Galesburg. The charter members were Moline High School, Rock Island High School, Rock Island Alleman High School, United Township High School (East Moline), Quincy Senior High School, and Galesburg High School. Enrollments have ranged from over 2000 students, to Alleman, the league's only private school, with about 300.
Prior to the advent of the Western Big 6 Conference, the schools of the present day conference are known to have participated in several other conferences:
- Quincy participated in Mississippi Valley Conference from 1922 to 1923 along with Macomb, Carthage, Fort Madison (IA), Keokuk (IA), and Pittsfield. Quincy also participated in the Tri State Conference from 1932 to 1935 along with Macomb, Canton (MO), Fort Madison (IA), Hannibal (MO), Keokuk (IA), Kirksville (MO).
- Canton, East Moline, Galesburg, Kewanee, Moline and Rock Island participated in football at various times in the early 1950s under the Northwest Conference (Near) banner. 1956 was the final season for the conference.
- East Moline, Moline and Rock Island participated in the Quad Cities Metro Conference, along with Davenport Central and (after 1960) Davenport West, throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Rock Island Alleman joined in 1969 (as did Davenport Assumption from the Iowa side). The 1977–1978 school year was the last for the competition in this conference.
- Simultaneous with the Quad Cities Metro Conference, East Moline, Moline and Rock Island were members of the Mississippi Valley Conference. In addition to Davenport Central and (after 1960) Davenport West, Iowa schools from Cedar Rapids, Clinton and Dubuque were also part of this conference.
- More of an association than a league or conference for football, the Illini Conference organization featured Bartonville Limestone, Canton, East Peoria, Galesburg, Kewanee, Pekin, Peoria Richwoods, and Peoria Woodruff at various times in the 1950s and 1960s. The league's members never played a complete round robin schedule in football and most played concurrently in other conferences. The final season for football in the Illini was 1971.
- Starting in 2019–2020 season Geneseo High School and Sterling High School joined the conference in all activities.
