Dr. Frank Tracz is the current director of bands at Kansas State University, serving since 1993. He serves as the head director of the Kansas State University Marching Band and director of the K-State Wind Ensemble.[1] Under his direction, the marching band was awarded the Sudler Trophy, an honor given to collegiate marching bands that demonstrate the highest musical standards.[2]
Tracz was born in January 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Brooklyn High School, where he participated in numerous extracurriculars, including band.[3]
Education
Tracz received his B.M.E from The Ohio State University, where he marched on the drum line. He then went on to receive his Masters degree at the University of Wisconsin. After a stint of teaching high school band, he returned to The Ohio State University to receive his doctorate degree in 1987.[3]
Career
Kansas State University
Tracz became the director of bands at Kansas State University in 1993.[4] In 2025, Tracz announced that he will retire at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.[4]
In 2023, construction of the Tracz Family Band Hall was completed. The band hall, named after Tracz, became the new facility for the marching band.[5]
Controversy
In 2015, Tracz received a one-game suspension when the band's formation of the Starship Enterprise crashing into the Kansas Jayhawks mascot resembled a penis. He defended the formation while also apologizing for its "misinterpretation", stating that he had "absolutely no disrespect or malice toward the University of Kansas."[6]
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