Purdue "All American" Band

Purdue “All-American” Marching Band – Now one of the largest marching bands in the world at around 350 members, the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band started humbly in 1886 as a group of five students in the Purdue Student Army Training Corps. While the original group formed to provide music while the Army trainees conditioned, the band gradually grew to fifty members in 1904, when it started playing at football games under the direction of student Paul Emrick. Over the years, the band became famous for several unique attributes. In 1908, the band became the first ever to form a letter on the field with its famous block “P.” Then in 1921, Emerick, who stayed on as director until 1954, commissioned the building of the famous World’s Largest Drum, which requires two beaters and four pushers. The band got its nickname in 1935 during a performance at an away game at Northwestern, when the band members wore lights on their uniforms and played without stadium lighting. In response, broadcaster Ted Husing noted that it was “truly an all-American marching band.” Another well-known component is the battery of featured twirlers: “Golden Girl” (established in 1954 to parallel the nickname of “Golden Boy,” quarterback Len Dawson), “Girl in Black” (started in 1962 to represent the other school color), and “Silver Twins” (often but not always identical twins, started in 1960). Since 1927, the Purde “All-American” Band has been a mainstay at the Indianapolis 500. Among the thousands of band alumni are Neil Armstrong (euphonium, BS 1955) and Orville Redenbacher (sousaphone, BS 1928). The band's director in Hoosier native Jay S. Gephart.