Marching Illini - Facts and Figures

Facts and Figures

The Marching Illini was the second band to ever be awarded the prestigious Louis Sudler Intercollegiate Marching Band Trophy in 1983, after only the Michigan Marching Band. In addition to Rose Bowl appearances, the Marching Illini has performed at the All-American, Peach, Liberty, Citrus, Hall of Fame, John Hancock, Holiday, MicronPC.com, Texas, and Sugar Bowl games.

In addition to its performances, the University of Illinois Bands could claim the honor of holding the largest collection of original works and papers by John Philip Sousa, until 1994 when these items were transferred from the possession of the band to the university's archives, under the control of the University Library. These archives remain housed on the upper level of the Harding Band Building.

The Marching Illini can also lay claim to several firsts, which are listed on the band's official website. These include:

• Birthplace of the college concert band - first formal concert given in 1890, with performances as early as 1872
• First school song - Illinois Loyalty was first performed March 3, 1906
• First college to use Sousaphones - upright bell model sousaphones were purchased in 1906–1907
• First halftime show - in 1907 for the University of Chicago game
• First to form school letters (Block I in parade)
• First Homecoming - first celebrated in October, 1910
• First Dad's Day - first celebrated in November, 1920
• First Mom's Day - first celebrated in 1921
• Performed at first football game broadcast on radio (band was heard on WGN experimental play-by-play broadcast, probably in 1924)
• First to sing a cappella on the field - in the Quad Cities during a trip to Iowa in 1920
• Chief Illiniwek made his first appearance in 1926
• First student card section (Block I)
• Referred to by John Phillip Sousa as "World's Greatest College Band" in the 1920s
• First band to have its own band building (in the 1930s)
• First to have a giant school flag
• First to march mallets at the college level
• First college marching band to release a compact disc ("The Marching Illini" in 1986)
• First college band to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland in 1992
• First Band with a website – first advertised in April, 1994.
• Performed at the first televised football game and the first football game televised in color.
• First band to use field bugles in a field show (1913–14), thus making the Marching Illini the first drum and bugle corps
• Debbie Soumar became the first female Drum Major of the Big Ten in 1977