You’ll always hear South Carolina State’s announcer boom a variation of his proud and boastful statement when the Bulldogs step off of the football field, because that means it’s time for the other pride of South Carolina State to rise to their own occasion.
We’ve all seen the movies. We’ve all seen the stories. We’ve all had a friend who has been among the ranks of a marching band. At an HBCU, halftime isn’t a break in the action. It’s just the beginning. While the football players demonstrate agility with high-flying catches, spectacular runs and hard-hitting tackles, marching band members work tirelessly to perfect their craft of high-flying drum majors, spectacular blends of passion through music, and the hard-hitting but unique and unmistakable sound of the Marching 101 band.
The 101 started humbly in 1918, a simple regimental band performing military drills and assisting with music at Sunday schools and wherever else it was needed. As the directors who took charge of the program foresaw a bigger picture for the program, the band slowly but steadily evolved from a service band to a part of the school’s Department of Music, to a prominent band whose name rings from coast to coast.
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