Kansas State University Marching Band

Kansas State University Marching Band

School	Kansas State University
Location	Manhattan, Kansas
Conference	Big 12
Founded	1887 (1887)
Director	Frank Tracz
Assistant director	Don Linn
Members	approx. 400 (2013)
Fight song	"Wildcat Victory"
Website	www.k-state.edu/band

The KSU Marching Band performs during halftime of a K-State football game.

The Kansas State University Marching Band, also known as "The Pride of Wildcat Land" or just The Pride, is a 400+ piece marching band consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion, color guard, dancers, and twirlers. It is the official band of Kansas State University.^[1]

History

In 1887 Professor Alexander Brown organized fifteen student-musicians into the first band at the Kansas State Agricultural College. The first involvement with athletics came when the band accompanied the baseball team to a game in 1899. Since then, the Kansas State Marching Band, also known as the "Pride of Wildcat Land", has grown to more than 410 members. The University band represents the school, the city and community of Manhattan, and the state of Kansas each year at home and across the country at home games, NFL exhibition, bowl games, parades and festivals, and alumni, charity, and community events.^[2]

The "Pride" has been invited to many out-of-town venues, appearing before huge audiences, both live and on television. Occasionally the band travels to perform at a Kansas City Chiefs' home game. They have also performed on three occasions at Texas Stadium for Dallas Cowboys home games and twice at Denver Broncos home games. The K-State band performed at the 1974 NFL ProBowl and in the 1977 Texas State Fair. In May 1980, the K-State band performed at Wembley Stadium and Hyde Park in London, England. In more recent years, the "Pride of Wildcat Land" has accompanied the K-State football team to multiple bowl appearances, including:

A memorable performance venue every year for many decades is known as K-State Band Day. Now attracting approximately 2000 high school and middle school students converging each year on Manhattan, the day-long event includes a morning parade through the center of town, and a massed band performance at half time of that afternoon's home football game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. On September 15, 1984 the K-State Band Day was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records. In conjunction with that year's Band Day, sixty-seven school bands joined the K-State Band on the field, creating a 3,144 piece marching band, which put them in the book as the world's largest marching band.^[2]

In 2014, The Pride of Wildcat Land was awarded the Sudler Trophy, which is given to the top bands in the country.

Membership

Membership in the "Pride of Wildcat Land" is open to all Kansas State students, regardless of major. Some members receive scholarship aid for their participation in the band. Band members come from schools throughout the state and across the nation, and their educational goals are as diverse as their backgrounds. Students representing every college on campus, and nearly every curriculum, work many hours a week in rehearsal during the marching season.^[3]

The marching band does not only consist of the musicians holding the instruments. Also part of the band are the Wildcat Twirlers, flag line, and Classy Cats dance team. These positions are audition only on a yearly basis. The members of these three groups practice with the marching band and are just as much part of the band as the musicians.^[3]

Songs of Kansas State University

Fight song

The 2006 KSU Marching Band marching in block band to "Wildcat Victory."

Wildcat Victory is the official fight song of Kansas State University. It was originally written, verse and chorus, by music department student Harry Erickson in 1927, but over time became known to K-State fans with the chorus section on its own. The band presents Wildcat Victory in various forms throughout athletic events, from a short excerpt of the introduction to a full version, complete with singing.^[2]

Fight, you K-State Wildcats
For Alma Mater fight-fight-fight!
Glory in the combat
For the purple and the white.

Faithful to our colors
We shall ever be,
Fighting ever fighting for a
Wildcat victory!

Go State! ^[4]

Alma Mater

The KSU Alma Mater was officially selected as the result of a campus-wide competition in 1888. The original work, composed by H.W. Jones ('88), was four stanzas long, including the chorus. Following a school name change, the song was altered by removing the letters KSAC (Kansas State Agricultural College), replacing them with KSU. The length of the piece was also shortened to two stanzas.^[2]

I know a spot that I love full well,
'Tis not in forest nor yet in dell;
Ever it holds me with magic spell,
I think of thee, Alma Mater.

KSU, we'll carry thy banner high.
KSU, long, long may thy colors fly.
Loyal to thee, thy children will swell the cry.
Hail, hail, hail, Alma Mater.^[4]

Others

In October, 1928, John Philip Sousa was to make an appearance at K-State. A petition, signed by most of the student body, was presented to Sousa on October 10, requesting that he compose a Kansas State Agricultural College march. Sousa delivered the piano arrangement of Kansas Wildcat March to the Music Department in the spring of 1931. It is now an integral part of the pregame show at every football game, and is normally one of the selections you will hear the "Pride" playing in parades that they march in.^[2]

The Wabash Cannonball (arranged by Joel Leach) is known as a second fight song for K-State. Wabash Cannonball was first performed for an athletic event at K-State on December 16, 1968. It was the only selection in the band's repertoire that evening for a home basketball game at Ahearn Fieldhouse. Just three nights prior, arsonists had set fire to Nichols Hall, at that time the home of the Music Department, destroying all of the departments assets, including the sheet music. The band director at that time, Phil Hewett, just happened to have taken this one piece home from the library that very night to do some work on the arrangement, thus making it the only selection to survive the fire. Since then, the Wabash Cannonball has come to represent the survival of the underdog in the hearts and minds of all true K-State fans, and has earned a secure place in the KSUMB's history and traditions.^[2]

During their opening show of the 2015 season, The Pride of Wildcatland fell under unfortunate circumstances when a mis-aligned formation was mistakenly taken as a malicious jab at rival Kansas. Dr. Frank Tracz, director of bands at K-State, claims the incident as "friendly rivalry banter."^[5]

References

External links

Official website

Kansas State University

Academics	College of Agriculture College of Architecture, Planning and Design College of Arts and Sciences College of Business Administration College of Education College of Engineering College of Human Ecology College of Veterinary Medicine School of Journalism and Mass Communications Branch campuses Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus (Salina) K-State Olathe (Olathe) Buildings Anderson Hall Hale Library Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art

Athletics	Big 12 Conference Kansas State Wildcats Football Men's Basketball Women's Basketball Baseball Volleyball KSU Marching Band Sunflower Showdown Governor's Cup Iowa State–Kansas State football rivalry Facilities Bill Snyder Family Stadium Bramlage Coliseum Ahearn Field House Tointon Family Stadium Memorial Stadium Colbert Hills

Culture	Notable people Landon Lecture Series Willie the Wildcat Aggieville Wildcat Victory Wabash Cannonball Alma Mater Kansas Wildcats (march) Media The Collegian Royal Purple KKSU (AM) KSDB (FM) KKSU-LP

Student life	K-State Student Union Housing Boyd Hall Davenport Building Derby Dining Center Ford Hall Goodnow Hall Haymaker Hall Jardine Terrace Apartments Kramer Food Center Marlatt Hall Moore Hall Pittman Building Putnam Hall Van Zile Hall West Hall

History	Blue Mont Central College Land-grant university Joseph Denison List of oldest buildings on Kansas colleges and universities

Established: 1863 – Endowment: $488.9 million – Students: 23,779 (Fall 2016)

Links to related articles

Kansas State Wildcats football

Venues	Ahearn Field (1911–1921) Memorial Stadium (1922–1967) Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium (1968–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Iowa State Kansas: Sunflower Showdown (Governor's Cup)

Culture & lore	Willie the Wildcat "Wildcat Victory" "Wabash Cannonball" Marching band Timeline of football in Kansas Aggieville riots 1939 Nebraska game

People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball

Venues	Manhattan YMCA (1902–1911) Nichols Hall (1911–1950) Ahearn Field House (1950–1988) Bramlage Coliseum (1988–present)

Rivalries	Kansas (results)

Culture & lore	History Willie the Wildcat "Wabash Cannonball" Wildcat Victory The Pride of Wildcat Land

People	Head coaches Honored players

Seasons	1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Marching bands of the Big 12 Conference

Golden Wave Band (Baylor) Cyclone Marching Band (Iowa State) Marching Jayhawks (Kansas) The Pride of Wildcat Land (Kansas State) Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band (Oklahoma) Cowboy Marching Band (Oklahoma State) Longhorn Band (Texas) Horned Frog Marching Band (TCU) Goin' Band from Raiderland (Texas Tech) Pride of West Virginia (West Virginia)

Sudler Trophy recipients

1982: Michigan
1983: Illinois
1984: Ohio State
1985: Florida A&M
1986: Texas
1987: Oklahoma
1988: Michigan State
1989: Kansas
1990: Iowa
1991: Arizona State
1992: Northwestern
1993: UCLA
1994: James Madison
1995: Purdue
1996: Nebraska
1997: West Virginia
1998: UMass Amherst
1999: Texas Tech
2000: Georgia
2001: Texas A&M
2002: LSU
2003: Alabama
2004: Auburn
2005: Penn State
2006: Arkansas
2007: Indiana
2009: Western Carolina
2011: Notre Dame
2013: Florida
2015: Kansas State

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