| The Pride of Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| School | The University of Oklahoma |
| Location | Norman, Oklahoma |
| Conference | SEC |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Director | Brian Britt |
| Assistant Director | Lane Folds |
| Members | 333 |
| Fight song | "Boomer Sooner" |
| Website | http://bands.ou.edu/ |
The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, known as "The Pride", is the student marching band for the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
The Pride was founded in 1904 as a pep band to play at Sooner football games. In the early years of the university, the band was composed mostly of Norman residents and was disbanded every year after football season.
The first continuous student band was founded in 1904 by Lloyd Curtis, himself a Sooner freshman. The band branched out and began playing at other athletic events. Eventually, they started playing non-athletic events also, including concerts and parades. The band marched in the parade celebrating the inauguration of the first Oklahoma governor, Charles N. Haskell. A military band was created during World War I but was kept separate from the University band.
In 1929, the University hired its first full-time faculty member, William R. Wehrend, whose primary responsibility was to direct the band program. He devised numerous ways of promoting the band. He was one of the first band directors to have an annual high school Band Day event. In 1934, he organized a publicity stunt to set the record for the world's longest drum roll. Ten hours later, it was successful. Wehrend was one of the first directors to admit women into a band program, in 1934. [1]
With the success of the football program in the 1950s, so increased the visibility of the Pride. Their halftime programs, centered on themes that would incorporate well-known songs of the day, were soon being broadcast on television during games. They received the grand prize as the best overall unit in the 200-unit 1961 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade held in Washington, D.C.
Since the 1950s, the Pride has been under the leadership of several different band directors and with those directors came different styles. The 1960s saw band director Gene Braught bring a style of precision marching filled with intricate routines creating geometric shapes and lines.
Gene "Coach" Thrailkill transitioned the Pride to emphasize technique and sound – but not at the expense of the overriding goal to support the Sooners. During the 1983 Bedlam game at Oklahoma State in Stillwater, the Sooners fell behind 20-3 early in the 4th quarter. Stillwater police took Thrailkill off the field for not having a sideline pass. Incensed, Thrailkill told the Pride to "start playing and don't stop until we're ahead!" The band complied, and played "Boomer Sooner" non-stop – and after roughly 300 times, the Sooners were ahead 21-20. Barry Switzer and the Sooners awarded the Pride the game ball, and labeled it "The Day The Pride Won" as proof. [2]
In 1987, the Pride was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy, the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for university bands and an award no band may be awarded twice. As of 2006, the Sudler Trophy has been awarded 25 times; the Pride was the sixth recipient of the award.
Thrailkill also introduced the current pre-game show, which has been used continuously in one form or another for over 35 years. In 2011, Bleacher Report ranked the Pride's pre-game show the third best pre-game show in college football. [3]
Upon Thrailkill's retirement in 2001, Brian Britt was named Director of the Pride of Oklahoma. Mr. Britt, himself a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, was a member of the band in 1987 when the ensemble received the Sudler Trophy. Mr. Britt made evolutionary changes to the band's performances, and the repertoire continued to be mostly arrangements by OU professor Dr. Roland Barrett. Stand tunes and cadences were updated throughout the decade to reflect popular music themes and add diversity to musical performances in the stands. The uniforms also evolved with the addition of red uniform tops, different pant styles, and updating the OU logo. Mr. Britt implemented a student leadership program with an emphasis on mentoring students by holding leadership retreats, regular meals with students, and asking for student input in planning future shows.
On November 22, 2007, six days after Oklahoma marked 100 years as an American state, the Pride made its first trip to New York City to be Oklahoma's representative in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The band debuted a new uniform coat during the parade, and returned to Oklahoma in time to support the Sooners against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on November 24.
Debra Traficante, a former Graduate Assistant at the University of Oklahoma, became Assistant Director in 2010.
As of January 1, 2013, Dr. Debra Traficante assumed the title and position of Interim Director of the Pride of Oklahoma, following Brian Britt's announcement that he would be taking the position of Director of Fine Arts for Richardson Independent School District in Richardson, TX.
Dr. Justin Stolarik was named the Director of the Pride of Oklahoma for the 2013 season after serving on staff for the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. On October 23, 2014, Justin Stolarik resigned as director of the Pride. Upon his resignation Boren invited former director Brian Britt to return to the position, Britt will also be associate dean of the Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts. [4]
In attendance at all home and away football games, the Pride performs a variety of music.
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the state of Oklahoma. In Fall 2023, the university had 32,676 students enrolled, most at its main campus in Norman. Employing nearly 4,000 faculty members, the university offers 174 baccalaureate programs, 199 master's programs, 101 doctoral programs, and 88 certificate programs.
The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run of 1889, which initially opened the Unassigned Lands in the future state of Oklahoma to non-native settlement. The university's athletic teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The university's current athletic director is Joe Castiglione.
The Solid Gold Sound of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band represents the university at major athletic and extracurricular events. During the fall marching season, this 250-member band performs at the Rose Bowl for UCLA Bruin home football games. Pregame shows by the band aim to build crowd energy and enthusiasm with traditional UCLA songs like "Strike Up the Band for UCLA", "Bruin Warriors", and "The Mighty Bruins". Throughout the game, the band performs custom-arranged rock and pop songs, as well as the traditional fight songs and cheers of the university. The UCLA Varsity Band appears at basketball games and other athletic contests in Pauley Pavilion. In 2018, the Bruin Marching Band was featured on the Muse album "Simulation Theory" performing the Super Deluxe version of the song "Pressure."
"Boomer Sooner" is the fight song for the University of Oklahoma (OU). The lyrics were written in 1905 by Arthur M. Alden, an OU student and son of a local jeweler in Norman. The tune is taken from "Boola Boola", the fight song of Yale University. A year later, an additional section was appended, borrowed from the University of North Carolina's "I'm a Tar Heel Born".
The Pennsylvania State University Marching Blue Band, known generally as the Blue Band, is the marching band of Pennsylvania State University. Founded in 1899, it is the largest recognized student organization at the University Park campus of Penn State, with over 300 active student members. The primary function of the Blue Band is to support the school's football team, performing for all home football games at Beaver Stadium.
Ohio University Marching 110 is the official marching band of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, founded in 1923. The nickname Marching 110 is a reference to the band's original number of members. The current band consists of ~225 members. It represents the university at various athletic functions and other events, including over 40 NFL halftime shows.
The Pride of Arizona (PoA) is the marching band and pep band at the University of Arizona. The band was founded in 1902 as the UA ROTC Band and contained 12 members. The band is well-known for their performance at Super Bowl I and the Inaugural Parade of President James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr.
Brian A. Britt is assistant director of the school of music, assistant professor of music, and director of The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band at the University of Oklahoma. Britt is only the fifth person to hold the position since the first full-time director of The Pride was hired in 1929.
The Oklahoma Sooners football team represents the University of Oklahoma (OU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The program began in 1895 and is one of the most successful in history, having won 944 games and possessing a .725 winning percentage, both sixth all-time. Oklahoma has appeared in the AP poll 898 times, including 101 No. 1 rankings, both third all-time. The program claims seven national championships, 50 conference championships, 167 first-team All-Americans, and seven Heisman Trophy winners. The school has had 29 former players and coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Division I history with 47 straight victories. Oklahoma is also the only program with which four coaches have won more than 100 games each.
The Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band (NUMB) is the marching band at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The ensemble performs at all home football games and periodically makes appearances at events in the Chicago area. The band also performs at any postseason football games and one "away trip" per season, typically a Big Ten Conference game in the later half of the season.
The Hawkeye Marching Band is the marching band for the University of Iowa. The band performs at all home Hawkeye football games at Kinnick Stadium in addition to other events. It is the largest and most visible musical ensemble at the university. The band was founded in 1881 as a military band, giving membership to both music students and members of the military. In 1990, the band was awarded the Louis Sudler Intercollegiate Marching Band Trophy, generally considered to be the most prestigious honor a collegiate marching band can receive.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his 20th year as head coach. Oklahoma State plays its home games at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Kansas State University Marching Band, also known as "The Pride of Wildcat Land" or just The Pride, is a 375 piece marching band consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion, color guard, dancers, and twirlers. It is the official band of Kansas State University.
The University of Florida Fightin' Gator Marching Band, also known as The Pride of the Sunshine, is the official marching band for the University of Florida. The current era of the band is also referred to as The Sound of the Gator Nation. They perform at every Florida Gators home football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and also at various other events such as pep rallies, parades, and the annual Orange and Blue spring scrimmage game. A full band usually travels to two away games a year while at other games a small/medium-sized pep band will attend. Members of the Gator Band, as well as other University of Florida students, are encouraged to join other ensembles such as concert band, jazz band, basketball band, and volleyball band. The twirlers for the Gator Band are referred to as the Gatorettes and the color guard is called the Florida Visual Ensemble.
The Auburn University Marching Band (AUMB) is the marching band of Auburn University and the 2004 recipient of the Sudler Intercollegiate Marching Band Trophy. With 380 members, the band traces its origins to 1897 when M. Thomas Fullan proposed to then-president Dr. William Broun that the drum corps accompanying cadet drills be replaced with a full instrumental band.
The Marching Jayhawks, is a 380-piece marching band consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion, and color guard, representing the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The band performs at all home football games and occasionally travels to away games. They also send smaller ensembles to pep rallies around the Kansas City area. The band marches in parades on campus and in downtown Lawrence. The volleyball and basketball pep bands play at all home games and will often travel for post-season play.
The Razorback Marching Band is the marching band of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The 300+ member RMB performs at all home football games as well as all post-season play. A small pep band travels to football games played elsewhere.
The Mountaineer Marching Band, known as The Pride of West Virginia, is the marching band of West Virginia University located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The band was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy by the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 1997.
The Pride of the Mountains Marching Band is the marching band which represents Western Carolina University. The band performs pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows at all Catamounts Football home games and routinely provides exhibition performances throughout the Southeast. Unlike most college marching bands, the Pride of the Mountains designs, creates, and performs one perfected halftime show other than doing different performances every week.
The Syracuse University Marching Band (SUMB), also known as the Pride of the Orange, is the collegiate marching band of Syracuse University. The band consists of approximately 200 members. The SUMB performs at all home Syracuse Orange football games throughout the season in the Carrier Dome, and also takes part in parades and other performances throughout the year. It is one of the largest student organizations at Syracuse University, and one of the oldest collegiate bands in the United States.
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