Golden Gophers

This band, known as "The Pride of Minnesota," was formed in 1892 with 29 members, all of which were male. It was only during the WWII years when women from the concert band started "filling in" for the men. From that point on, women have been an important part of the band, even forming their own division until 1972 when they were officially incorporated into the band. Women continue to make progress in this organization. As recently as 2006, the first female drum major in the history of this band was chosen.

Currently, there are no required auditions in order to become a member except for the 30-piece drumline. All other instruments tryout for spots for pregame, where only 250 positions are available, the Monday before a game. However, no one is a bench warmer as everyone gets to march the halftime show. The University puts on an impressive pregame show with the impressive rotation of the Block "M." The following video features this and other pregame traditions:

For more information on the gopher band, check out their official website for more information. For an insider's view of the band, check out the ever-interesting trombone site where you can learn about bone traditions like the “Tmabone Musical Institute” Cake, the "Ski-U-Mah" plume cheer, and "Bone Jit-Su."

[the original University Cadet Band]