"All-American" Marching Band

That's one small step for man; one giant leap for...a baritone player?

It's the truth. Neil Armstrong was the first bandsmen to be rocketed into space and to set foot on the moon. He played baritone in the Purdue band program while attending the university. Purdue's long-standing tradition doesn't begin or end with him however.

Purdue's "All-American" Marching Band, 1995 Sudler recipient, began its history in 1886 as an ROTC band consisting of five members. For the most part, the band remained a military band until Paul Spotts Emerick joined the band program in 1904. In 1905, he was elected director by his fellow bandsmen and remained in the position until 1954 when he retired. Emerick was the first to introduce the block P in 1907 (the first time a band broke military ranks on the field to form a letter). This tradition continues today but with a much larger band of 340 members. However, this is not the only tradition the band has continued to perform. In 1919, the band started the tradition of carrying the Big Ten flags every gameday and in 1920 was the first band to play the opposing school's fight song during pregame. Both traditions are alive today along with the tradition of every member of the band turning their hats backwards after a Big Ten victory. In addition to football game performances, the band has also upheld the tradition of playing at the Indianapolis 500 every spring.

The band is not solely composed of musicians. Auxiliary members include a flagline (Golden Silks), a pom squad (Goldusters), and a twirling line, which includes four feature twirlers (Silver Twins, Girl in Black, and Golden Girl). The unique position of "Golden Girl" began in 1954 when Purdue was home to quarterback, Len Dawson, nicknamed "Golden Boy." Under director Al G. Wright, the solo twirler position came to be known as the "Golden Girl" in order to match the quarterback's status. Ever since then, the title has been passed down each year to the lucky twirler who earns it through spring auditions.

Purdue bandsmen take part not only in full band traditions, but also in section traditions. For example, the piccolos and trombones always take part in the "Picc-a-bone Party" at the end of band camp - nothing too complex, just a party where piccolos and trombones intermingle. Similarly, at the end of band camp, the trumpet takes part in "Trumpet Pizza" - senior trumpets buy pizza for the entire section. The following video is proof of the special trumpet tradition:
For more information and for more "special" videos of trumpet traditions, check out their section site.

There's much more to the Purdue marching band, like the Big Bass Drum and the "Band Cheer," but those will be discussed in later postings. If you'd like to get ahead of the game, take a look at the band's official site here.

Purdue's Drumline Show:

For more information on the drumline, click here.