Marching Mizzou
| Marching Mizzou | |
|---|---|
 |
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| School | University of Missouri |
| Location | Columbia, Missouri |
| Conference | SEC |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Director | Dr. Erin Cooper |
| Members | 300 |
| Fight song | "Fight Tiger, Every True Son" |
| Uniform | Black shakos with plume, black overalls, gloves, and shoes, white jacket with black and gold striped collar, tilted golden 'M' runs down right arm creating a gold sleeve |
| Website | Marching Mizzou Page |
Marching Mizzou, M2, or The Big 'M' of the Midwest is the performing marching band for the University of Missouri, founded in 1885 as a college military band. Originally consisting of only 12 members, it is now the largest student organization on the MU campus, drawing students from nearly every major. Marching Mizzou performs at all home football games of the Missouri Tigers football team, in addition to other university events; a reduced band travels to the Tigers' away games, while the entire band regularly follows the team to conference championship games and bowl games. Marching Mizzou's signature drill "Flip Tigers" has been a well-known tradition of its pre-game show since 1960.
Marching Mizzou began as the University of Missouri Cadet Band in 1885, founded by Frederick Pannell from the encouragement of Lt. Enoch H. Crowder. Initially, membership was limited to members of the school's Corps of Cadets. The band made only one appearance in the 1885 season, at a football game against the University of Kansas and was so well received by the assembled students and alumni that they were asked back to the next season's football games. The Corps obliged, and applications for membership grew quickly. Being a military band, the group performed at both Cadet Corps events and school events, playing music from composers like Beethoven and Wagner.
Under George Venable, director from 1910 to 1946, the band eventually moved away from military marching and acquired the characteristics of a show band. The big "M" formation debuted in 1934, and the band won highest honors in the Big 6 Conference that same year. Following the dissolution of the Corps of Cadets in 1944, membership was opened every male in the university and the group moved into the Department of Music under the direction of George Wilson. The band's first annual "High School Band Day" was held in 1945, inviting high schools to participate in a massed performance during half-time. In 1956, The University of Missouri Cadet Band split into a concert band, a university band, and the marching band, resembling its current structure. Charles Emmons became director in 1957, and under his direction women were allowed to join the band in 1958; most bands at the time remained male-only.
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