Indiana University

Skip to:

  1. Search
  2. Breadcrumb Navigation
  3. Content
  4. Browse by Topic
  5. Services & Resources
  6. Additional Resources
  7. Multimedia News

Media Contacts

Linda Cajigas
Publicity Specialist
lcajigas@indiana.edu
(812) 856-5719

Last modified: Friday, September 5, 2008

IU Marching Hundred featured at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday during Colts game

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 5, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana University Marching Hundred will be the first college marching band to perform at the new Lucas Oil Stadium when the Indianapolis Colts play their first regular season game this Sunday (Sept. 7) at 8:15 p.m. on national television. The band will take the field during the Colts season opener against the Chicago Bears.

This marks the fourth consecutive year the largest performing organization in the IU Jacobs School of Music has been asked by the Colts to play at a home football game. Bill Polian, president of the Colts, has been a long-time fan of IU and the band, and specifically asked the Hundred to play during the opening game at the new stadium.

"We are honored and excited to be hand-picked as the opening night halftime band for the Colts in the new stadium," said David C. Woodley, director of the Marching Hundred. "We think this is a positive reflection on the long-standing tradition and entertainment value of the Hundred, both in Bloomington and across the state and country."

The Marching Hundred also will be performing on Oct. 19 for the Chicago Bears/Minnesota Vikings game in Chicago at Soldier Field. Jacobs School of Music faculty member Joey Tartell will serve as guest trumpet soloist for that game.

History of the Marching Hundred

IU's famed Marching Hundred is the product of a tradition that dates back to the organization of the first band at IU in 1896. Originally founded to provide recreation for interested students, the 22-piece band of 1896 grew to 47 members by 1913.

In 1916, the band traveled to Mexico to entertain troops of the American Expeditionary Force under the command of General Pershing. When the IU campus was converted into a training camp during World War I, the band played an important role in drilling American soldiers.

In the mid-1920s, the IU Band began receiving national attention. When John Philip Sousa came to Bloomington in November of 1925, he referred to the band as "one of the snappiest marching and playing bands in the country."

The Indiana Band was beginning to earn the definitive phrase of "one of America's finest." In 1927, various newspaper and magazine columnists referred to the band in various descriptive accolades: Indiana's famous Marching and Playing Hundred, All-American Band and the greatest organization of its kind on the continent. Eventually, the title "Marching Hundred" was to come into popularity and has since been used to describe this outstanding organization.

The band's appearances have included the Kentucky Derby (1939), the Presidential Inaugural Parade (1953), the Rose Bowl (1968), the Holiday Bowl (1979), the All-American Bowl (1986), the Peach Bowl (1988 and 1990), the Liberty Bowl (1988), the Copper Bowl (1991), the Independence Bowl (1993) and the Insight Bowl (2007).

Each season, the Marching Hundred performs live before thousands of fans as well as for national television and radio audiences. The band produces video and audio tapes of its outstanding performances each year.

In 2007, the Marching Hundred was the recipient of the Sudler Trophy, naming it as the outstanding college marching band in the country. Every appearance of the band reinforces the motto of the Marching Hundred: A Tradition of Excellence.