The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band
Encyclopedia
The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, known as "The Pride", is the student marching band
for the University of Oklahoma
Sooners
.
The Pride was founded in 1901 as a pep band to play at Sooner football
games. In the early years, the band was composed mostly of Norman
residents and was disbanded every year after football season.
The first continuous student band was founded in 1904 by Lloyd Curtis, himself a Sooner freshman
. The band branched out and began playing at other athletic events. Eventually, they started playing non-athletic events also, including concerts and parades. The band marched in the parade celebrating the inauguration of the first Oklahoma governor
, Charles N. Haskell
. A military band
was created during World War I
but was kept separate from the University band.
In 1929, the University hired its first full-time faculty member, William R. Wehrend, whose primary responsibility was to direct the band program. He devised numerous ways of promoting the band. He was one of the first band directors to have an annual high school band day event. In 1934, he organized a publicity stunt
to set the record for the world's longest drum roll. Ten hours later, it was successful. Wehrend was one of the first directors to admit women into the band program, in 1934.
With the success of the football program in the 1950s, so increased the visibility of the Pride. Their halftime programs, centered on themes that would incorporate well-known songs of the day, were soon being broadcast on television
during games. They received the grand prize as the best overall unit in the 200-unit 1961 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade
held in Washington, D.C.
Since the 1950s, the Pride has been under the leadership of several different band directors and with those directors came different styles. The 1960s saw band director Gene Braught bring a style of precision marching filled with intricate routines creating geometric shapes and lines.
Gene "Coach" Thrailkill transitioned the Pride to emphasize technique and sound – but not at the expense of the overriding goal to support the Sooners. During the 1983 Bedlam
game at Oklahoma State in Stillwater
, the Sooners fell behind 20-3 early in the 4th quarter. Stillwater police took Thrailkill off the field for not having a sideline pass. Incensed, Thrailkill told the Pride to "start playing and don't stop until we're ahead!" The band complied, and played "Boomer Sooner
" non-stop – and after roughly 300 times, the Sooners were ahead 21-20. Barry Switzer
and the Sooners awarded the Pride the game ball, and labeled it "The Day The Pride Won" as proof.
Thrailkill also introduced the current pre-game performance, which has been used continuously in one form or another for over 35 years.
was named Pride director.
Debra Traficante, a former Graduate Assistant at the University of Oklahoma, became Assistant Director in 2010.
In 1987, the Pride was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy, the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy
for university bands and an award no band may be awarded twice. As of 2006, the Sudler Trophy has been awarded 25 times; the Pride was the sixth recipient of the award.
On November 22, 2007, six days after Oklahoma marked 100 years as an American state, the Pride made its first trip to New York City
to be Oklahoma's representative in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
. The band debuted a new uniform coat during the parade, and returned to Oklahoma in time to support the Sooners against
the Oklahoma State Cowboys
on November 24.
games, the Pride performs a variety of music.
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
for the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
.
Early years
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games. In the early years, the band was composed mostly of Norman
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
residents and was disbanded every year after football season.
The first continuous student band was founded in 1904 by Lloyd Curtis, himself a Sooner freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
. The band branched out and began playing at other athletic events. Eventually, they started playing non-athletic events also, including concerts and parades. The band marched in the parade celebrating the inauguration of the first Oklahoma governor
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
, Charles N. Haskell
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...
. A military band
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
was created during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
but was kept separate from the University band.
In 1929, the University hired its first full-time faculty member, William R. Wehrend, whose primary responsibility was to direct the band program. He devised numerous ways of promoting the band. He was one of the first band directors to have an annual high school band day event. In 1934, he organized a publicity stunt
Publicity stunt
A publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized or set up by amateurs...
to set the record for the world's longest drum roll. Ten hours later, it was successful. Wehrend was one of the first directors to admit women into the band program, in 1934.
Directors
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
during games. They received the grand prize as the best overall unit in the 200-unit 1961 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade
National Cherry Blossom Festival
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington...
held in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Since the 1950s, the Pride has been under the leadership of several different band directors and with those directors came different styles. The 1960s saw band director Gene Braught bring a style of precision marching filled with intricate routines creating geometric shapes and lines.
Gene "Coach" Thrailkill transitioned the Pride to emphasize technique and sound – but not at the expense of the overriding goal to support the Sooners. During the 1983 Bedlam
Bedlam Series
The Bedlam Series refers to the athletics rivalry between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys, of the Big 12 Conference...
game at Oklahoma State in Stillwater
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. 177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 45,688. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical...
, the Sooners fell behind 20-3 early in the 4th quarter. Stillwater police took Thrailkill off the field for not having a sideline pass. Incensed, Thrailkill told the Pride to "start playing and don't stop until we're ahead!" The band complied, and played "Boomer Sooner
Boomer Sooner
The Boomer Sooner Fight Song is the fight song for the University of Oklahoma written by Arthur M. Alden in 1905. The tune is taken from "Boola Boola", the fight song of Yale University...
" non-stop – and after roughly 300 times, the Sooners were ahead 21-20. Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
and the Sooners awarded the Pride the game ball, and labeled it "The Day The Pride Won" as proof.
A Second Century of Pride
Upon Thrailkill's retirement in 2001, Brian BrittBrian A. Britt
Brian A. Britt is Assistant Director of the School of Music, Assistant Professor of Music, and Director of The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band at the University of Oklahoma...
was named Pride director.
Debra Traficante, a former Graduate Assistant at the University of Oklahoma, became Assistant Director in 2010.
In 1987, the Pride was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy, the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
for university bands and an award no band may be awarded twice. As of 2006, the Sudler Trophy has been awarded 25 times; the Pride was the sixth recipient of the award.
On November 22, 2007, six days after Oklahoma marked 100 years as an American state, the Pride made its first trip to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to be Oklahoma's representative in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
. The band debuted a new uniform coat during the parade, and returned to Oklahoma in time to support the Sooners against
Bedlam Series
The Bedlam Series refers to the athletics rivalry between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys, of the Big 12 Conference...
the Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
on November 24.
Traditional songs
In attendance at all home and away footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
games, the Pride performs a variety of music.
- "Boomer SoonerBoomer SoonerThe Boomer Sooner Fight Song is the fight song for the University of Oklahoma written by Arthur M. Alden in 1905. The tune is taken from "Boola Boola", the fight song of Yale University...
" - "Boomer 1"
- "Boomer 2"
- "Boomer 3"
- "Boomer 4" (rarely)
- "Boomer 5" (Boomer Fanfare)
- "Boomer Jaws"
- "OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
" - "Oklahoma 1"
- "Oklahoma 2"
- "Oklahoma 3"
- "OK Oklahoma"
- "Oklahoma Hail!"
- "Fight for OKU"
- "El ToroEl ToroEl Toro, Spanish for "the bull", may refer to:* El Toro , a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, USA* El Toro , a class of sailing dinghy* El Toro , the highest hill in Minorca, Spain...
" - "Crazy Train"
- "Sweet CarolineSweet Caroline"Sweet Caroline" is a pop song written and performed by Neil Diamond and officially released on September 16, 1969, as a single. It was later released on December 9, 1972 as a part of Diamond's Hot August Night album. There are three distinct mixes of this song...
" - "Never Been to Spain"
- "William TellWilliam TellWilliam Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
" - "Go Big Red"
- "OU ChantOU ChantThe OU Chant is the alma mater of the University of Oklahoma.The chant was written in 1936 by Jessie Lone Clarkson Gilkey, the coach of the OU girl's glee club from 1936 to 1938. It is played by The Pride of Oklahoma and sung by fans and alumni during pregame festivities prior to home football...
" - "Mortal Kombat"
- "Eat 'em Up 1"
- "Eat 'em Up 2"
- "Zombie Nation"
- "Kashmir"
External links
- The University of Oklahoma Bands
- The Pride of Oklahoma
- OU Band Alumni Association
- Official Athletic Department page - with download links for OU fight songs and OU Chant