History
The band was formed in 1912 with just 14 members under director Dr. Gustav Wittig. Four years later, in 1917, the band became a military band and was student-led until 1927. The band earned its name during a football game between Alabama and Georgia Tech, a game which the Yellow Jackets won 33–7. The band struggled for funds, having to solicit money from local merchants, to travel to games off campus. An Alabama alumnus, W.C. Pickens, was asked " what do you have at Alabama?" by an Atlanta-based sportswriter. Pickens replied only, "A million dollar band."
In 1936, Colonel Charleton K. Butler took over the band and led it to national prominence among collegiate marching bands. He remained director for the next 33 years until Mr. Earl Dunn took charge in 1969. After a one-year stint at the Capstone, Dr. James Ferguson was named director, where he remained until 1983. Legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant often voiced his support for the band during his tenure, giving them partial credit during victories. Dr. Kenneth Ozzello has been in charge of the band since 2002, taking over for Ms. Kathryn B. Scott. One year after he was named director, the band won the prestigious Sudler Trophy, awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
Read more about this topic: Million Dollar Band (marching Band)
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“What has history to do with me? Mine is the first and only world! I want to report how I find the world. What others have told me about the world is a very small and incidental part of my experience. I have to judge the world, to measure things.”
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)
“Like their personal lives, women’s history is fragmented, interrupted; a shadow history of human beings whose existence has been shaped by the efforts and the demands of others.”
—Elizabeth Janeway (b. 1913)
“Racism is an ism to which everyone in the world today is exposed; for or against, we must take sides. And the history of the future will differ according to the decision which we make.”
—Ruth Benedict (1887–1948)