KSUMB Fall 2008 Auxiliary Line Auditions will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2008 in the Ahearn Fieldhouse.
Click the Aux. Info Button to the left for more information

Congratulations to the following 2007 KSUMB Award Winners

Music Instructor of the Year	Wendy Crawford, Piccolo C.J. Longabaugh , Alto Saxophone
Assistant Section Leader of the Year	Ashley Robinson, Flags
Section Leader of the Year	Mike Ruckert, Trombone Chris Exum, Percussion
Harry Erickson	Kim Chain, Flags Jessica Bohaty, Flags
Rookie of the Year	Jennifer Solis, Clarinet Elliot Arpin, Percussion
Wabash Award	Ben McGuire, Trombone Jonathan Draheim, Drum Major
KKY/TBS Bandsman & Bandswoman	Mathew Mitchell, Baritone Kristen Anderson, Tenor Saxophone
Most Inspirational	Amanda Jolly, Drum Major Lindsay Smith, Clarinet
Rod Funk Memorial Scholarship	Kyla Pratt, Classy Cats Lori Wadell, Clarinet Jamie Shores, Percussion Jason Clark, Percussion
Marching Pride	Clarinets Tubas
Section of the Year	Color Guard Percussion

Alumni Classy Cat Members making it big as professional athletic cheerleaders. Click on their picture for their bios (this will take you to an off-site webpage).

2007 KSUMB Student Staff

Kansas State University Marching Band
The Pride of Wildcat Land

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the Pride of Wildcat Land. Located at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, the 300+ member "Pride" performs at K-State Wildcat football games in the fall and represents Kansas State University at many other events, including bowl games, pep-rallies, and alumni, administrative, and foundation functions.

The K-State Marching Band is under the direction of Dr. Frank Tracz, Director of Bands, and Dr. Anthony Pursell, Assistant Director of Bands.

If you are a prospective student and are interested in obtaining more information about our band program and scholarship information, please click on the Future Members tab to the left to complete a Prospective Form. This form does not obligate you to K-State nor our program. From this form we are able to send you important information to help you make an informed decision.

Please explore the links to the left and the information that follows on this page to learn more about our history, songs, traditions, personnel, organizations, and other resources of the Kansas State University Marching Band.

A History of the Kansas State University
"Pride of Wildcat Land" Marching Band

Since its humble beginnings in 1887, when Professor Alexander Brown organized fifteen student-musicians into the first band at what was then known as Kansas State Agricultural College, the K-State Marching Band, now known to Wildcat fans as the "Pride of Wildcat Land," has come a great distance in many, many ways.

The K-State Marching Band made its first appearance with an athletic team in the spring of 1899 when it escorted the college's baseball team to a game. Having now grown to nearly 300 members, the K-State band represents our university, the city and community of Manhattan, and the state of Kansas each year at home and across the country at home games, NFL exhibition, bowl games, parades and festivals, and countless alumni, charity, and community events.

The K-State Band has become an integral part of its community and has a rich history of recognition and support at every level, from public school directors and students to the president of Kansas State University. From our coaches and Athletic Department administrators to representatives in student, faculty, local and state government.

The "Pride" has been invited to many out-of-town venues, appearing before huge audiences, both live and on television. Each year the band travels to perform at a Kansas City Chiefs' home game. They have also performed on three occasions at Texas Stadium for Dallas Cowboys home games and twice at Denver Broncos home games. The K-State band performed at the 1974 NFL ProBowl and in the 1977 Texas State Fair. In more recent years, the "Pride of Wildcat Land" has accompanied the K-State football team to eleven consecutive bowl appearances, including:

A memorable performance venues every year for many decades is known as K-State Band Day. Now attracting approximately 2000 high school and middle school students converging each year on Manhattan, the day-long event includes a morning parade through the center of town and a massed band performance at half time of that afternoon's home football game at the K-State Stadium's Wagner Field. On September 15, 1984 the K-State Band Day was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records. In conjunction with that year's Band Day, sixty-seven school bands joined the K-State Band on the field, creating a 3,144 piece marching band, which put them in the book as the world's largest marching band!

The "Pride" has been recognized by many local and national media, including: The Manhattan Mercury, The Kansas State University Collegian, The Topeka Capital Journal, Purple Pride, The Union Tribune, The K-Stater, and The Lawrence Journal Tribune.

Membership in the "Pride of Wildcat Land" is open to all K-State students, regardless of major, with some members receiving scholarship aid. Band members come from schools throughout the state and from across the nation, and their educational goals are as diverse as their backgrounds. Students representing every college on campus, and nearly every curriculum, work many hours a week in rehearsal during the marching season.

The Songs of Kansas State University

Wildcat Victory is the official fight song of Kansas State University. It was originally written, verse and chorus, by music department student Harry Erickson in 1927, but over time became known to K-State fans with the chorus section on its own. The band presents Wildcat Victory in various forms throughout athletic events, from a short excerpt of the introduction to a full version, complete with singing.

The KSU Alma Mater was was officially selected as the result of a campus-wide competition in 1888. The original work, composed by H.W. Jones ('88), was four stanzas long, including the chorus. Following a school name change, the song was altered by removing the letters KSAC (Kansas State Agricultural College), replacing them with KSU. The length of the piece was also shortened to two stanzas.

Wildcat March: In October, 1928, John Philip Souosa was to make an appearance at K-State. A petition, signed by most of the student body, was presented to Sousa on October 10, requesting that he compose a Kansas State Agricultural College march. The piano arrangement of Kansas Wildcat March arrived at the Music Department in the spring of 1931 and is now an integral part of the pre-game show at every football game and is normally one of the selections you will hear the "Pride" playing in each of the parades they march in each year.

The Wabash Cannonball: With a history like no other, and a firm grasp on tradition, the Wabash Cannonball may be known as a second fight song to the K-State contingent. Composed in 1933 as a folk ballad saluting the nation's rail-riding hobos, Wabash Cannonball was first performed for an athletic event at K-State on December 16, 1968. Wabash was the only selection in the band's repertoire that evening for a home basketball game at Ahearn Fieldhouse. Just three nights prior, arsonists had set fire to Nichols Hall, at that time the home of the Music Department, destroying all of the departments assets, including the sheet music. The band director at that time, Phil Hewitt, just happened to have taken this one piece home from the library that very night to do some work on the arrangement, thus making it the only selection to survive the fire. Since then, the Wabash Cannonball has come to represent the survival of the underdog in the hearts and minds of all true K-State fans, and has earned a secure place in the KSUMB's history and traditions.

The K-State Tradition

Nickname: At the turn of the century, K-Staters were commonly referred to as the "Aggies," which became their favorite label. The nickname "Wildcats" was given to the football team in 1915 by then head coach Chief Bender because of the squads "fighting spirit." The nickname was changed to the "Farmers" in 1916, but head coach Charled Bachman switched it back to the "Wildcats" in 1920.

School Colors: The school color, Royal Purple, was adopted in the fall of 1896 by a committee made up of Miss Minnie L. Copeland, Miss Winnifred Houghton, and Miss Ina Holyrod, of that year's senior class. Although K-State's only official color is purple, whie has been used as a complimentary color for many years. Silver is also a common second or third color. The phrase "Purple Pride," which is often used in association with K-State athletics, was given rise during the tenure of football coach Vince Gibson.

School Mascot: Willie the Wildcat, a student bedecked in a large, life-like wildcat head, is Kansas State's number one fan. Willie the Wildcats are selected yearly. The mascot is a central part of athletic events, but Willie also attends other functions around the state as an ambassador of K-State and Manhattan. Traditionally, the identity of the student portraying Willie is kept secret. A grayish bobcat (wildcat), named Touchdown XI, donated by the Clifford Roy family of Smith Center, resides in Manhattan's Sunset Zoo. The tradition of Touchdown began in 1922 when head coach Charles Bachman helped introduce the first mascot to the campus. Once a regular at Wildcat contests, Touchdown mascots no longer attend the games.