The Big Eight Conference was formed in 1926 with the original members; Biloxi, Gulfport, Meridian, McComb, Laurel, Brookhaven, Hattiesburg and Jackson. In 1936 Vicksburg joined the conference followed by Clarksdale, Greenville, Greenwood, Columbus Lee and Tupelo in 1938.

          In later years more teams joined the conference and it was split into North and South divisions.

          Below is a season-by-season look back at the Big Eight Conference that dominated the high school football scene in Mississippi for over fifty years.
         

Big 8 Conference Champions
1980	South Natchez	1953	Greenville
1979	Meridian	1952	Hattiesburg
1978	Meridian	1951	Brookhaven
1977	Gulfport	1950	Central Jackson
1976	Pascagoula	1949	Central Jackson
1975	Callaway	1948	McComb
1974	Greenwood	1947	Pascagoula
1973		1946	McComb
1972		1945	Tupelo
1971		1944	McComb
1970		1943	Meridian, Greenville
1969		1942	Meridian
1968	Biloxi	1941	McComb
1967	Meridian	1940	Meridian
1966	Meridian	1939	Laurel
1965	Murrah	1938	Meridian
1964	Gulfport	1937	Meridian
1963	Meridian	1936	Central Jackson
1962	Biloxi	1935	Hattiesburg, Gulfport
1961	Laurel	1934	Hattiesburg
1960	Provine	1933	Hattiesburg
1959	Meridian	1932	Meridian, Central Jackson
1958	Greenville	1931	Laurel, Meridian
1957	Greenville	1930	Biloxi
1956	McComb	1929	Biloxi
1955	Vicksburg	1928	Biloxi
1954	Central Jackson	1927	Meridian