Famous Maroon Band
Encyclopedia
The Famous Maroon Band is the name of the marching band
at Mississippi State University
in Starkville, Mississippi
. The Maroon Band plays at all Mississippi State
home football games and sends at least a pep band
to a majority of the football away games. Typically, the full band also travels to bowl games, the Egg Bowl
against the University of Mississippi
, and at least one other away game per season. The band was formally established in 1902 at what was then called Mississippi A&M College and was a military band
, as was the college at the time.
football game, the bands participated in a band contest with the winner taking home a trophy. Unbeknownst to the Alabama band, the A&M band had brand new non-military themed uniforms and after the A&M band performed first to thunderous applause the Alabama band refused to play. The band still has the trophy on display in the band room and the forty members of the band were thenceforth nicknamed the "Famous Forty". Later on in the 1930s a sportswriter referred to the band as the "Famous Maroon Band" and the name stuck.
, the Famous Maroon Band performs and cheers on the crowds and the team at Dawg Walk. The MSU Drumline also performs in exhibition in front of the Leo Seal M Club Centre two hours before kickoff. One hour before the game begins, the band parades through the Junction into Davis Wade Stadium.
, the band takes the field for its traditional pregame show. The show opens with a selected cadence, followed by the MSU Fanfare. Next, the band scatters to its positions for the MSU spellout, during which the MSU 2K cheer is played and followed by Hail State
, the university's official fight song. The show continues with the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Maroon and White, and sometimes, an additional song. Added in 2009 to promote the return of the "Dawg Pound Rock," the band now does the dance for the pregame crowd. The band then performs the STATE spellout, during which the Go State cheer is played. The band concludes the performance by playing the university's original fight song, Madelon. The band then plays Hail State during the Mississippi State Bulldogs
team entrance.
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...
at Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
in Starkville, Mississippi
Starkville, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.4 people per square mile . There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 396.7 per square mile...
. The Maroon Band plays at all Mississippi State
Mississippi State Bulldogs football
The Mississippi State Bulldogs football program represents Mississippi State University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State has produced 38 All-Americans, 171 All-SEC selections, and 124...
home football games and sends at least a pep band
Pep band
A pep band is an ensemble of instrumentalists who play at functions or events with the purpose of entertaining and "pepping" up a crowd. Often members of a pep band are a subset of people from a larger ensemble such as a marching band or a concert band. Pep bands are generally associated with...
to a majority of the football away games. Typically, the full band also travels to bowl games, the Egg Bowl
Egg Bowl
The Battle for the Golden Egg, also known as the Egg Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between played annually by the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team of Mississippi State University and the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi . The rivalry is...
against the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
, and at least one other away game per season. The band was formally established in 1902 at what was then called Mississippi A&M College and was 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...
, as was the college at the time.
"Famous" name
The name "Famous Maroon Band" was coined in the 1930s after an incident that led to the 40 members of the band being called the "Famous Forty". At the time of an A&M vs. AlabamaUniversity of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
football game, the bands participated in a band contest with the winner taking home a trophy. Unbeknownst to the Alabama band, the A&M band had brand new non-military themed uniforms and after the A&M band performed first to thunderous applause the Alabama band refused to play. The band still has the trophy on display in the band room and the forty members of the band were thenceforth nicknamed the "Famous Forty". Later on in the 1930s a sportswriter referred to the band as the "Famous Maroon Band" and the name stuck.
| Listen to "Hail State" Famous Maroon Band |
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The Junction
In the university's new Junction area outside Davis Wade StadiumDavis Wade Stadium
Davis Wade Stadium is the home playing venue for the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team. Located in Starkville, Mississippi, the stadium has a capacity of 55,082. It was built in 1914 as Scott Field and was named for Don Magruder Scott, an Olympic sprinter and one of the University's first...
, the Famous Maroon Band performs and cheers on the crowds and the team at Dawg Walk. The MSU Drumline also performs in exhibition in front of the Leo Seal M Club Centre two hours before kickoff. One hour before the game begins, the band parades through the Junction into Davis Wade Stadium.
| Watch Pregame Performances Famous Maroon Band |
| Watch Now |
Pregame
Before kickoff at Davis Wade StadiumDavis Wade Stadium
Davis Wade Stadium is the home playing venue for the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team. Located in Starkville, Mississippi, the stadium has a capacity of 55,082. It was built in 1914 as Scott Field and was named for Don Magruder Scott, an Olympic sprinter and one of the University's first...
, the band takes the field for its traditional pregame show. The show opens with a selected cadence, followed by the MSU Fanfare. Next, the band scatters to its positions for the MSU spellout, during which the MSU 2K cheer is played and followed by Hail State
Hail State
"Hail State" is a fight song for Mississippi State University. The words and music were written by Joseph Burleson Peavey in 1939.-Use in football games:...
, the university's official fight song. The show continues with the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Maroon and White, and sometimes, an additional song. Added in 2009 to promote the return of the "Dawg Pound Rock," the band now does the dance for the pregame crowd. The band then performs the STATE spellout, during which the Go State cheer is played. The band concludes the performance by playing the university's original fight song, Madelon. The band then plays Hail State during the Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Mississippi State University. They participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference under the mascot Bulldogs and the school colors of maroon and white...
team entrance.
| Watch the 2006 "Salute to America" Famous Maroon Band |
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