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| The LSU Tiger Marching Band, also known as the "Golden Band from Tigerland," will receive the prestigious Sudler Trophy during halftime of the LSU-Miami of Ohio game on Sept. 14. The Sudler Trophy is the highest honor a collegiate marching band can receive and has been called "the Heisman Trophy of marching bands," according to Frank Wickes, director of LSU bands. "I couldn't be more pleased for the band members, our staff and the school," Wickes said. "It's a great tribute to my assistants, Linda Moorhouse and Roy King." Wickes said that the band was notified that it had won the award in December at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, but the official presentation has been scheduled for the Sept. 14 football game and will coincide with LSU's Band Alumni Day. Dignitaries from the Sousa Foundation will be on hand at the game, as will a number of Tiger Band alumni. The Tiger Band is only the second band from the Southeastern Conference to win the trophy. The University of Georgia's Redcoat Band took the award in 2000. Awarded since 1982, the Sudler Trophy is administered by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation, a publicly supported educational foundation established for the purpose of "organizing, sponsoring and administering projects contributing to the excellence of bands and band music throughout the world." It was named for Louis and Virginia Sudler, the patrons whose support and contributions to the foundation led to the creation of the award. According to the Sousa Foundation, the purpose of the trophy is to "identify and recognize collegiate marching bands of particular excellence" and it is awarded to "a college or university marching band which has demonstrated the highest musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, and which has made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands over a period of years." Each year in September, the Sousa Foundation sends out nomination forms to all U.S. marching band directors at four-year institutions that participate in NCAA football. From these nominations, the foundation's award committee creates a final ballot from which the band directors select the winner. "The award has been made possible largely due to the contributions of the band members and alumni of the past 100 years who have worked hard in continuing many great traditions, as well as generating new ones," said Linda Moorhouse, co-director of the Tiger Band. The LSU Tiger Marching Band is made up of some 325 musicians, Golden Girls and Colorguard members. In 1997 ,the band was selected as the top band in the Southeastern Conference by SEC band directors. |
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