History of the Marching Band
The 225-piece Pride of the Buckeyes is one of the few college all-brass-and-percussion bands in the U.S. and is acknowledged as the largest of its kind in the world. With a history dating back to the late 1800s, many marching band innovations were developed at Ohio State. Among them: floating and animated formations, script writing and the cadence with a high knee lift, and utilizing innovative technology to teach drills and music. Brass instruments specially designed for marching bands were first used at Ohio State.
Today, the Marching Band includes cornets, trumpets, flugelhorns, mellophones, trombones, baritones, snare drums, bass drums, tenor drums, cymbals and sousaphones.
The official school fight songs “Buckeye Battle Cry” (1919) and “Across the Field” (1915) date back to the early 20th century, while other tunes such as “Hang on Sloopy” (1965) are more modern traditions. In May 2014, the Ohio House passed a resolution to make “Hang on Sloopy” the official state rock song.
The Marching Band’s Script Ohio, first performed in 1936, is considered by many to be the most memorable tradition in college band history. The band unwinds from a massive Block “O” to form a script Ohio. The highlight of the performance is always the dotting of the “i” by a sousaphone player.