The history of the ASU marching band is wrapped up in the history of the University, ASU alumna Leslie Anderson said. She graduated in 1979 and was a member of the marching band during her time at ASU.
Alumni from the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band took a trip through the band’s 100-year history and celebrated their heritage Sunday in the last of a series of band homecoming events.
The school’s marching band was established in 1915, 30 years after ASU’s first incarnation as the Territorial Normal School at Tempe.
Anderson gave the group of alumni a history lesson on the band’s humble beginnings.
Through the 20th century, the marching band had its share of rough patches, particularly when the U.S. entered World War I just two years after the band’s inception.
Anderson said the definitive maroon and gold were not always the band's colors. Their uniforms underwent many changes throughout the years before the school officially adopted the trademark colors its students know today.
Likewise, the school's students were known as the Arizona State Bulldogs, and their band uniforms were often white with a dark cape.
However, in October of 1947, the school debuted new maroon and gold colors to go with their new mascot, Sparky the Sun Devil.
Big changes came for the marching band when, in 1952, Harold Hines took over as their band director.
“The guy was about 5-foot-nothing,” Anderson said. “But he could command a crowd.”
Hines was responsible for many of the traditions ASU fans are familiar with today. Under Hines’ direction, the Sun Devil Marching Band began the tradition of changing formation from “ASU” to “USA” during the national anthem.
It was also Hines’ decision to have fireworks every time the Sun Devils scored a touchdown.
“He said, ‘I want all of Tempe to know that ASU is winning,’” Anderson said.
The band’s membership underwent trials in the 1900s, when there were often less than 40 members, Anderson said. Now there are over 800 members.
In 2006, James Hudson — affectionately called “Hud” by alumni — took over the program.
“I’ve done a lot of things in my career,” Hudson said. “And I never thought I’d rehearse a band of 820 people plus.”
Hudson has fostered a relationship not only with his current band members, but with alumni as well.
“The bottom line for me is it’s a pleasure to be your band director,” Hudson said to alumni at the event. “I didn’t say ‘their band director,’ because I’m still your band director.”
Travis Breedlove, a 2002 alumnus, is the club president of Devil Horns, a volunteer-based alumni association to help the current marching band.
It’s the responsibility of the alumni to ensure the marching band has a future, Breedlove said.
“Everyone here is a member of Devil Horns if they’re an alumni of the Sun Devil Marching Band,” Breedlove said.
Lea Lindstrom, a 2003 alumnae of the band, said Hudson’s leadership is keeping alumni coming back and supporting the band.
“Hud is amazing,” she said. “The way he treated us as alumni is fantastic.”
Past directors have not maintained proper relationships with alumni, which has kept them from participating in the band’s future, Lindstrom said.
“He’s been making us feel welcome. A lot of us are going to be coming back because of that,” she said.
As Anderson finished her presentation of the band’s history, she told alumni to always look to the future, because what they are doing now, is laying a foundation for future band members and alumni.
“Homecoming is about legacy,” Anderson said. “Legacy is what is left behind to us and has taken us to what we are: One of the finest bands in the world, and certainly in the United States.”
Reach the reporter at jwbowlin@asu.edu or follow @mrjoshuabowling on Twitter.
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