Marching Chiefs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Since 1949, the name Marching Chiefs has served as the official title of the marching band of The Florida State University. The motto for the Chiefs is MCATDT, standing for "Marching Chiefs All The Damn Time!"
[edit] History
An unnamed band had existed at the university since 1941 when the school was still The Florida State College for Women. With the integration of male students to the university in 1947 and a budding athletic program on the horizon, the marching band found itself expanding and searching for a unique identity. A newspaper survey conducted that year, sponsored by the FSU Student Government Association, aided in selecting the title officially adopted by the university.
The first appearance of the Marching Chiefs was at Stetson University in 1949.
In 1953, Dr. Manley R. Whitcomb joined the faculty at FSU as the director of the Marching Chiefs. Whitcomb is credited with being the first to implement fast marching tempos, and high marching steps known as "Chief Steps".
The December 6, 1982 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine stated that, "Florida State occasionally may lose a football game, but never a halftime show."
In 1988, the Chiefs had grown to over 400 members, making the ensemble the largest collegiate marching band in the world.
In 1991 the Chiefs became the first collegiate marching band to produce their own CD recording, under the direction of director Patrick Dunnigan.
In 2005, a donation of over $1 million dollars was made to the university for a new practice field for the Marching Chiefs. Starting with the 2005 season, the Chiefs have a brand new million dollar speed turf field to march on.
