When the Hundred go marching in

As the first strains of “Indiana, Our Indiana” float over the crowd, the announcer declares for all to hear, “The Marching Hundred.”

The members of this tradition of excellence begin to march, the crowd’s synchronized clapping cheering them forward. The band blares the last few notes and moves into the beloved “IU” formation to represent its school.

Professor David Woodley, director of athletic bands, signals for “horns down,” and the band is met with ever-growing cheers. This is the Marching Hundred — one of Indiana’s crowning and award-winning achievements.

The Marching Hundred is far from new on the IU campus. The first band in 1856 was composed of only 22 members. The popularity of the band began to flourish as the years went by, receiving national recognition in the 1920s from such personalities as John Philip Sousa. From that point on, the Marching Hundred would hold a place in the tradition of IU and become one of the staples of Saturday college football.

Woodley, more fondly known as “the Colonel” by his students, explained that the band is more than just the school’s marching band, but rather the spirit of IU, incorporating students from all walks of life.

“We have students in Hundred who come from literally every major on campus, so we are one of the few groups on campus who is literally supported and made up of all of the other schools,” Woodley said.

The Marching Hundred also provides its students with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities they would not be able to find in any other club on campus, its members assert.

“It’s been absolutely amazing, and I’ve gotten so many great opportunities, like performing at the Super Bowl and traveling to all of these places,” junior
member Devin Traxler said. “My freshman year, I went to Washington D.C. and played in the Redskins stadium. All of these cool things that I would never be able to do, I get to do because of Hundred.”

The Super Bowl performance, which was played in nearby Indianapolis in 2012, struck a chord with many other band members, with a pregame performance and halftime performance as well.

“It was something that was unexpected for all of the members, because typically IU doesn’t really go to bowl games in general. But being able to take a trip like that was incredible,” drum major Nathan Pratt said. “We performed in Lucas Oil Stadium for Colts games, but the crowd was so different because it was the Super Bowl.

"It was really exciting because it was like waiting eight hours for this really awesome five minutes.”

And with new experiences comes the retirement of old traditions.

This year marked the end of the popular “First Down March” at the request of the football team because the football team was unable to hear the next play with the band playing. The march is now played after touchdowns, and members have slowly gotten on board.

“I’m there to support the team, so if it will make a big difference, I’d rather see us win than play a march,” senior member Paul Reinhart said. “If it’s effective, I’m all for it.”

In addition to a tradition of excellence, the Marching Hundred is working to finish its practice facility. In Oct. 2012, the band received a gift of $500,000 from Bloomington’s Cook Group Inc. Marching Hundred Hall is in the beginning stages of construction.

“We are the soundtrack for athletics here,” Woodley said. “When you go to a sporting event, you are going to hear a band. As we look to the future, we want to remain a very important part of what athletics does.”