Hail the OSU Marching Band

The Ohio State University Marching Band is known not only in the Big Ten but in the entire country to be the best and the biggest. Beginning in 1878 as a military drum corps that provides marching music during military exercises, the band evolved into what it is today as a 225-member all-brass and percussion ensemble in 1934. Don’t argue when they claim to be “The Best Damn Band in the Land” because their string of accolades and awards proves this to be true.

Their most popular performances include the OSU fight songs, “Buckeye Battle Cry” and “Fight the Team Across the Field”, which have been sounding off from the Buckeye field since the early 1900s. What makes the band different is their experience performing not only during college football games, but also at NFL games for Ohio-based teams, which may either be at the Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns.

Memorable performances by the OSU Marching Band

The band reached the world stage in 2012 when they performed a tribute to video games at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and OSU halftime. Music from Super Mario Bros., Pokemon, Halo, Tetris, Pac-Man, and The Legend of Zelda was given a legendary arrangement by the band.  The formations were phenomenal, including the part where they simulated a falling set of Tetris blocks and a galloping Epona, the horse from The Legend of Zelda. And one thing that’s surely not to be missed at the band’s performances, their funny jabs against rival University of Michigan.

In 2013, the band did it again at a game against San Diego State University. Practicing for only four days, they performed music popularized by television game shows The Price Is Right, Family Feud, Jeopardy, and Wheel of Fortune. The halftime show was called “Are You Smarter Than a Wolverine?”

At the Homecoming game against the University of Iowa in 2013, true magic was made and even caught the attention of Katherine Jackson, the mother of Michael Jackson. The band performed a tribute to the late singer, featuring the OSU Gospel Voices choir for Man in the Mirror. Garnering more than 8 million YouTube views, the band performed their own “Moonwalks”, and even had an image of Jackson moonwalking across the field.

You may not be a big fan of the Buckeyes sports teams; you may not even like Ohio or have never been there before. But after seeing these videos, wouldn’t you change your mind? Add the wonderful state parks, the Circleville Pumpkin Show, and the quaint log cabins and cottages in the famous Hocking Hills, I bet you’ll be wearing red and white soon!

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