Washington Commanders Marching Band

Last updated
Washington Commanders Marching Band
Formation1937;88 years ago (1937)
Membership60
Director
Jeffrey Sean Dokken
Affiliations Washington Commanders
Website www.commanders.com/stadium/marching-band-2023

The Washington Commanders Marching Band is the marching band for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). The group was established in September 1937 by a local milk company and quickly embraced by team owner George Preston Marshall as The Redskins Marching Band.

Contents

The group is recognized as the oldest marching band in the NFL. After a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic and Redskins naming controversy, in 2022 the Washington Commanders Marching Band was formed.

History

Establishment

The 110-piece Washington Redskins Band as it appeared in 1952, replete with over-the-top feathered war bonnets. Washington-Redskins-Band-1952.jpg
The 110-piece Washington Redskins Band as it appeared in 1952, replete with over-the-top feathered war bonnets.

In the middle of August 1937, a volunteer band was assembled in an old firehouse at in Mount Rainier, Maryland. [1] The nucleus of the band had played together previously under the auspices of a large local dairy company. [1] After speeches were given, a new fight song called "Hail to the Redskins!", with music music by Barnee Breeskin and lyrics by Corinne Griffith, Hollywood actress and wife of team owner Marshall, [2] was taught to the assemblage — who had to be persuaded that the new tune was superior to "Onward, Christian Soldiers," a tune which the band already knew and preferred. [1]

The Redskins Marching Band was born. In the team's words, "For the rest of the season these musical milkmen played to their hearts' content — and to the fans' delight." [2] The entertainment experiment was a success and team owner George Preston Marshall embraced the marchers as "The Redskins Band." Twenty thousand dollars were invested in elaborate band uniforms, including gaudy Indian headdresses in lieu of more typical band headgear. [2]

The Redskins Band also played short musical arrangements during timeout, carefully timed to the 90-seconds allowed for such stoppages. [2] Some 200 short musical scores were compiled by band officials during the group's first decade of existence. [2] The original fight song — with some modification of the lyrics over time to better accord with modern political sensibilities — would remain the signature song of the band, played at halftime and after touchdowns are scored.

According to the team, the band was "composed of volunteers of all sizes and ages — printers, plumbers, sheet metal workers; mechanics, painters, electrical engineers; students, bookbinders, and, oh, yes, of course, even musicians." [2] This official statement of amateurism understated the group's core of musical competence, however, with direction as of 1943 in the firm hand of Don P. McAdoo, former director of the Akron Symphony Orchestra. [3]

In addition to playing home games, the Redskins band sometimes went on the road with the team, entertaining at games in Pittsburgh, Boston, Baltimore, Cleveland, and New York, among other locations. [2] The band also marched in parades and played occasional special events. [2]

Beginning in 1962, a chorus line of women bedecked in what was represented as Native American garb were added to the on-field marching lineup of the Redskins band. [4]

The Super Bowl era

Although the wildly stereotypical headgear was lost along the way, the Redskins Marching Band was maintained continuously into the Super Bowl era. By 2010 the band had grown from its original 110-member size to 126 pieces. [5] Although unpaid, some compensation was provided as band members were allotted two tickets to each home game — which they were free to give to family members or sell at their pleasure. [5] Turnover was small and aspiring members eager, with about 25 applicants each season for the average of 5 or 6 openings in the band. [5]

Regular rehearsals were held during the week, with the band playing before home games outside the stadium and giving impromptu concerts [5] or drum shows [6] following victories.

New music was constantly added to the bands repertoire, with an emphasis placed upon "music that will, in our opinion, excite people — rouse them up to cheer for the team," according to 2010 band director Eric M. Summers. [5] "A lot of them are oldies that most of the audience will recognize — those pieces that you will be able to sing some of the words to," Summers said. [5]

Marching performances during halftime was greatly reduced in the later phases of the Washington Redskins band, with only two or three shows a season given as of 2010. [6]

After the hiatus

The band went inactive in 2020, during the season with fan attendance shut down by the COVID-19 epidemic [7] and another in which the Redskins naming controversy added a demoralizing factor, but returned in 2022 after the team rebranded as the Commanders. [8] New uniforms were unveiled for the band, slimmed down to a 60-member size for its latest iteration. [8] Band members are paid part-time employees of the team under the current model. [7]

The Commanders band continues to perform the team fight song, renamed "Hail to the Commanders", after the team scores touchdowns at home games. [9]

Jeffrey Sean Dokken, conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia, was named the first director of the reborn Washington Commanders Marching Band. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXVI</span> 1992 edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1991 season. The Redskins defeated the Bills by a score of 37–24, becoming the fourth team after the Pittsburgh Steelers, the now Las Vegas Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers to win three Super Bowls. The Bills became the third team, after the Minnesota Vikings and the Denver Broncos to lose back-to-back Super Bowls. The game was played on January 26, 1992, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the first time the city played host to a Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Commanders</span> National Football League franchise based in the Washington, D.C. area

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland; its headquarters and training facility are in Ashburn, Virginia. The Commanders have played more than 1,300 games and have won more than 600. Washington was among the first NFL franchises with a fight song, "Hail to the Commanders", which is played by their marching band after every home game touchdown. The Commanders are owned by a group managed by Josh Harris, who acquired the franchise from Daniel Snyder in 2023 for $6.05 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All-America Football Conference</span> Professional American football league operating from 1946–1949

The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations to the game. However, the AAFC was ultimately unable to sustain itself in competition with the NFL. After it folded, three of its teams were admitted to the NFL: the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns and the original Baltimore Colts.

<i>Monday Night Football</i> Live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games

Monday Night Football is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on ABC from 1970 to 2005, before moving exclusively to sister network ESPN from 2006 to 2019. While still airing on ESPN, MNF returned to ABC in 2020 beginning with select ESPN simulcasts, later expanding to select ABC exclusive telecasts in 2022, and since 2023 ABC has aired the bulk of the games in simulcast with ESPN. In addition, ESPN2 features the Manningcast alternate telecast of select games, which was established in 2020, and since 2021, ESPN+ has served as the U.S. streaming home of MNF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Preston Marshall</span> American sports team owner (1896–1969)

George Preston Marshall was an American professional football executive who founded the National Football League (NFL)'s Washington Redskins. He founded the team as the Boston Braves in 1932. The following season, he relocated the club from Braves Field to Fenway Park and renamed them as the Redskins. Prior to the start of the 1937 NFL season, Marshall relocated the team to Washington, D.C.

"Hail to the Commanders" is the fight song of the Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL). At home games, the song is performed by the Washington Commanders Marching Band when the team scores a touchdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy Baugh</span> American football player and coach (1914–2008)

Samuel Adrian Baugh was an American professional football quarterback who played 16 seasons with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, where he was a two time All-American prior to being selected by the Redskins in the first round of the 1937 NFL draft. With the Redskins, Baugh won NFL Championships in 1937 and 1942 and led the NFL in completion percentage eight times, passing yards four times, and passing touchdowns once.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Colts (1947–1950)</span> Defunct American football team

The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The first team to bear the name, it was a member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1949 and then joined the National Football League (NFL) for one season before folding. The Colts were one of the least successful teams in the AAFC and NFL both on and off the field, winning only 11 of their 54 games in their history. In 1953, Baltimore was granted an expansion team that revived the Colts name. That franchise moved in 1984 and became the Indianapolis Colts.

The use of music at sporting events is a practice that is thousands of years old, but has recently had a resurgence as a noted phenomenon. Some sports have specific traditions with respect to pieces of music played at particular intervals. Others have made the presentation of music very specific to the team—even to particular players. Music may be used to build the energy of the fans, and music may also be introduced in ways that are less directly connected with the action in a sporting event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commanders–Cowboys rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The Commanders–Cowboys rivalry, formerly known as the Cowboys–Redskins rivalry, is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Washington Commanders</span> Sports team history

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football franchise based in the Washington metropolitan area. They are members of the East division in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Commanders were founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, named after the local baseball franchise. The franchise changed its name the following year to the Redskins and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1937. In 2020, the team retired the Redskins name after longstanding controversies surrounding it and briefly became the Washington Football Team, before choosing the Washington Commanders as their permanent name in 2022.

"The Eagles' Victory Song," popularly known as "Fly, Eagles Fly," is the fight song of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. The song is played following each Eagles touchdown during Eagles' home games at Lincoln Financial Field and as part of pre-game festivities before the playing of the national anthem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band</span> College marching band in Evanston, Illinois

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore's Marching Ravens</span> Official marching band of the Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore's Marching Ravens are the official marching band of the Baltimore Ravens American football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Whelchel</span> American naval officer and football coach (1898–1973)

John Esten "Billick" Whelchel was a decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral, American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the United States Naval Academy from 1942 to 1943, compiling a record of 13–5. In 1949, he was the head coach for the National Football League's Washington Redskins, tallying a mark of 3–3–1.

The 1960 Dallas Cowboys season was the inaugural season for the franchise in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commanders–Giants rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The Commanders–Giants rivalry, formerly known as the Giants–Redskins rivalry, is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Washington Commanders and New York Giants.

Jack Espey was an American sports executive who served as general manager of the Washington Redskins, Miami Seahawks, and Baltimore Colts. He won two NFL championships with the Redskins in 1937 and 1942.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Corinne Griffith, My Life With the Redskins. New York: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1947; pp. 43–46.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Walter Collier (ed.), The Redskins, Washington, DC: Official Press and Radio Guide, 1947. Washington, DC: Pro Football, Inc., 1947; inside cover.
  3. ↑ "That Band of Redskins," Pro Football Illustrated, Fall 1943 edition. Chicago: Elbak Publishing Co., 1943; p. 41.
  4. ↑ "Hail to the Redskins," in Harry Hulmes (ed.), Colts–Redskins: Baltimore Memorial Stadium, December 13, 1964. Baltimore, MD: Carroll Press, 1964; p. 14.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Robert Akins III, "The Real Twelfth Man: On The Field With The NFL's Oldest Marching Band," National Public Radio, November 15, 2010.
  6. 1 2 Eddie Carden, "Are You Ready for Some Football ... er, Marching Band? Halftime Magazine, November 2007.
  7. 1 2 3 Scott Allen, "Commanders' Revived Marching Band Will Have a New Look and Sound," Washington Post, May 11, 2022.
  8. 1 2 John Keim, "Washington Commanders Bringing Back 87-year-old Marching Band After 2-year Hiatus," ESPN.com, May 5, 2022.
  9. ↑ Rick Snider, 100 Things Redskins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books LLC, 2014; p. 202.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.