The Razorback Football team is in Fall Camp and everything is right with the world. The Football team isn't the only group back on campus. On Friday August 16th, the Razorback Marching Band starts rehearsals back on the hill.
The Razorback Marching Band is not under the umbrella of the Athletic Department, but they are a major part of Razorback Athletics. You can find members of the band in many different majors on campus and at many athletic events including, Football, Men's and Women's Basketball, and Volleyball. Along with the Arkansas Spirit Squads, they lead the cheers and help create energy in the stands at every Razorback Football game, home and away.
In 2006, the Razorback Marching Band received the Sudler Trophy from the John Philip Sousa Foundation. This award wasn't just an award for the 2006 year, but for years of excellence. The Razorback Marching Band in some form has been an entity at the University of Arkansas since 1874 (that makes it older than Old Main - 1879), and has been a source of excellence and pride for the University and fans of the athletic program.
So here's a tribute to the University of Arkansas Razorback Marching Band. We're glad you're returning to campus and preparing for the football season ahead. While we may not be attending your practices down at Lot 56, we know that game day wouldn't be the same without Pregame, the Big A, William Tell Overture, and the familiar strains of the Arkansas Fight Song. For those of us that have attended away games, the halftime shows are on par with any other band in the country and the presence in the stands cannot be matched.
It's only 17 days until the first Pregame of the season. Here's one from September 11, 2010 in Little Rock, with a particularly moving rendition of the National Anthem at 4:10.
#17 in your programs belongs to 5' 8" Cornerback Dakota Baggett. A Redshirt Sophomore from Bentonville, Dakota was a tackling machine in high school, but has yet to appear in any games for the razorbacks. Maybe we will see him in 2013.