A History of the University of Nebraska Bands: From Cadets to Cornhuskers and Beyond

The University of Nebraska bands boast a rich and storied history, evolving from a military-affiliated ensemble to the dynamic and spirited Cornhusker Marching Band known today. This evolution reflects not only changes within the university but also broader societal shifts, from the emphasis on military training in land-grant institutions to the increasing role of women in music and athletics.

The Early Years: Military Roots and Musical Growing Pains

The University of Nebraska's origins are intertwined with the Morrill Act, which in 1879 mandated that land-grant institutions provide instruction in military tactics. Initially, the cadet corps was accompanied by less-than-stellar musical support, described in the 1884 yearbook as "the unreliable 'yip, yip' of some awkward scrub in the ranks, accompanied by deafening wails from a broken-voiced flute."

In October 1879, Lt. Isaac T. Webster took command of the cadets and sought to improve the musical accompaniment. Cadet uniforms were costly, between $14.50 and $20.25, according to the History of the Military Department University of Nebraska 1876 - 1941, so the promise of a free uniform drew twelve eager cadets. The enthusiasm of the new cadet band may have exceeded their musical experience, however.

The nascent band's early performances were not always met with enthusiasm. A period account humorously describes the "agony of the first three months of practice," claiming that the band's rehearsals led to the resignation of two professors, the death of another, and the institutionalization of a student living nearby. Despite these challenges, the band persevered.

In May 1882, campus was buzzing with excitement over the baseball game that would be played in Crete that month. The young band was also enthusiastic, and the university paper, The Hesperian Student, reported that "The Cadet Band set all a roaring by coming on the scene in sober black suits, white ties and gloves and the tallest of 'stove-pipe' hats." To fill its ranks, the cadet band even recruited a high school student from Plattsmouth, Frank Wheeler, to join the ensemble for the day.

Expansion and Recognition: From Expositions to Sousa

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the band's increasing prominence. In 1898, inspired by the Chicago World's Fair, the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The multi-month event drew attendees from near and far, including President McKinley. The Cadets Go to the St. "The University Cadet band will accompany the train and wake up old Missouri," proclaimed the May 27, 1904 Daily Nebraskan, describing an upcoming excursion to visit the St. Louis World's Fair. The Cadets had arranged early in 1904 to make their annual encampment at the fairgrounds, similar to their experience at the much closer 1898 Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition in Omaha.

November 27, 1890, 19 cadets played at the first official football game. November 1892, Gen. Pershing required the Band to no longer be stationary, but instead march with the drills. The first known African-American in the band (picture below) is Private Charles Alexander from Red Oak, Iowa. He played 1st Cornet in the Cadet Band and the University Orchestra. 1892 Cadet Band.1903, Hagenow switched the block drills into square and circular formations for the halftime performances. 1910, a reorganization in the military on campus created the 1st Regimental Band on campus and the 2nd Regimental Band on East Campus. NU Band on the field in 1911. 1912 Cadet Band.

A significant moment in the band's history occurred on November 1st, 1927, when "The March King" John Philip Sousa and his band visited Lincoln for two concerts on the newly updated Coliseum stage. Over a dozen high school bands participated in "band day" and paraded through the streets. The Daily Nebraskan reported that even the University of Kansas band planned to take part in the proceedings, playing Sousa marches during the concert intermissions. During his visit, Sousa presented the R.O.T.C. band with a silver "loving cup" trophy for the regiment's rating the previous year, a trophy which rests today in the School of Music's halls.

The Quick Era and Beyond: Stability and Growth

In 1918, sweeping changes to the military department were taking place due to the Great War. The Student Army Training Corps (SATC) was formed, temporarily replacing the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), which had only just replaced the Cadets a few years before. In the midst of this, William T. Quick, affectionately known as "Billy", took over direction of the band. Quick would remain the band's director until 1937, the longest stretch of time in the band's history up until that point. Under William T. Quick's direction, the band experienced a period of stability and growth. Quick's kindness and dedication were widely admired. His successor, Donald Lentz, said of Quick "He was just the finest person you had ever met." An entire page of Pride of the Cornhuskers is filled with band members fondly reminiscing about Quick. Loved by his music students and band members, Quick returned the sentiment upon his retirement, remarking to The Daily Nebraskan about the band: "…I love the work no matter how they play.

In March of 1932, the band got a little bigger through the addition of "Big Bertha," a five foot drum. Bertha was joined by two lyres and decorated trumpets, part of a move that John K. Selleck noted in The Daily Nebraskan made the university "the only school in the Big Six that can boast of having such extensive equipment." Steffens writes in Pride of the Cornhuskers that Quick, the band director, did not appreciate the drum. During Don Lentz's time as marching band director, Big Bertha and the other instruments fell out of use. It was not until 1961 that Big Bertha returned to aid the introduction of band twirler Joyce Burns. "In one moment, I burst out of Big Bertha's innermost depths, into a world of band sounds and cheering crowds" she recalled in a letter to Snider in 1992.

Uniforms and Image: From Military Garb to Scarlet and Cream

The band's appearance also underwent changes over time. By the end of the 1920s the military garb of the marching band was beginning to detract from the band's performances. In 1935, The Daily Nebraskan published a scathing article comparing the "dull and colorless gray" Nebraska band with the "glittering" dress of the visiting University of Kansas band. "Brighter uniforms would help a lot," the article remarked. By early 1936, spurred by the Kansas visit, it was announced that the military department would be purchasing new scarlet and cream uniforms. "A properly dressed band is a better marching band," the military department's Colonel Oury was quoted as saying. "'Nebraskans Looked Like Carnival Hoodlums,' Says New York Writer" The Daily Nebraskan, November 28, 1928. 1937, band members not in the military longer have to wear military ranks; however, ROTC members still wore them. The band was no longer under military control. Leadership is made up of band officers.

The Lentz Era: Innovation and Tradition

When beloved director Billy Quick fell ill in the fall of 1937, new hire Donald Lentz took over marching band duties. He could not have foreseen that he would continue as the marching band director for more than twenty years, and Director of Bands until 1973. During his time with the band, the group grew in size, became a civilian organization rather than a military one, undertook creative drill formations, marched in the Rose Bowl and parade, weathered World War II, and added songs to the band's repertoire. Lentz made the musicality of the group his highest priority. For Lentz, this emphasis meant rejecting trends of other programs at the time, such as the addition of twirlers and dance teams. Lentz was known nationally for formalizing "Band Day" as a monumentally large event for high school band members. He was also recognized for his study of Asian cultures and history. He traveled frequently to the continent, collecting art and instruments and researching musicology. Today, a room in UNL's Love Library is dedicated to this collection. Lentz is also remembered through the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association's Donald A. Lentz Outstanding Bandmaster Award and the Donald A.

On a blustery, snowy day in 1938, the first official Band Day for high school bands took place in Lincoln, Nebraska. The concept of "Band Day" at UNL appears in print as early as 1926, when composer and conductor John Philip Sousa visited Lincoln and conducted high school bands. Within a decade, Band Day was an annual event with participants ranging from Nebraska and Iowa high school bands to municipal and company bands. An advertisement in 1933 claimed about the "music spectacle," that there would be a parade "through the downtown district, followed by a mass concert of hundreds of musicians in the stadium." When Donald Lentz became the director, he refined this existing event into a high school specific occasion. Early in its history, the massive scale of Band Day was one of its most appreciated qualities. Begun by John Selleck in the midst of the Great Depression, Band Day filled seats in a relatively new stadium desperately in need of an audience. A few years later during World War II, Band Day's size and popularity drew another needed audience despite higher expenses and rations. The sheer size of Band Day was ultimately its downfall. By 1971, as rising demand for seats and enhancements to the stadium made it difficult to host so many students even once a year. In the decades following the war, the Athletic Department's support for Band Day began to decline and its activities restricted. In a fiery letter to Nebraska State Bandmaster's Association members in 1966, George Meredith predicted the end of the event: "We are witnessing, here in Nebraska, the death throes of the oldest and finest institution of its type in the nation - that being the University of Nebraska Band Day.

"A red flag hung outside the office of Band Director Don Lentz early Saturday morning…it mean[t] that the athletic board had decided…to send the band to Pasadena on New Year's day," described The Daily Nebraskan on December 15, 1940. After weeks of uncertainty, the band was going to The Rose Bowl! Along the way, the lucky members on the trip stopped to perform in cities on the route and visited JuÃ¡rez, Mexico. On top of the expected challenges of traveling with a large group and performing in a series of events, the day the band left Lincoln Don Lentz received word that ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Arrangers, and Performers, was declaring a strike which would "go info effect on January 1st," Don Lentz recalled in Pride of the Cornhuskers. In spite of the ASCAP strike, Pride of the Cornhuskers contains accounts of the band striking up "Nebraska U" during the parade. Lentz recalls "It scared me to death and the first thing after we got back, Regent Thompson called and asked 'Didn't the band play No Place?' I said, 'Yes, but not intentionally.'" Fortunately, ASCAP did not follow up on this performance despite the ban. December 1940, on a train to California to play for the 27th Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 1941, Band Song was written. The #7 ranked Cornhuskers lost to the #2 ranked Stanford Indians (21-13). 1942, Women were admitted into the Varsity Band during the war. 1944 NU Band. 1945, A second concert band was created as the âCollegiate Band.â The marching band returned to all-male status with 120 members.

World War II and its Impact

World War II brought with it many changes for the University of Nebraska as well as the band program. The 1944 yearbook explained that "…the armed forces drew heavily upon the personnel of the…band. This year for the first time in its history, coeds were permitted to march with the bandâ¦" Band director Prof.

Read also: Affording LMU: A Guide

The Snider Years: Change and Controversy

In 1961, Don Lentz became Director of Bands and his former student, Jack Snider, stepped into the role of Marching Band Director. Snider would remain in that position until he, too, became Director of Bands in 1973. As difficult as it may have seemed to fill the shoes of the renowned Lentz, Snider became a legend of his own. Unafraid to forge his own path, in his very first season, Snider made changes to the style of music and the formations that the band was performing. 1960-61, the Huskerettes were added to the band with 16 pom-pon girls.

Snider's time as Marching Band Director included some transformations which he did not instigate. Snider resisted the inclusion of women in the marching band, whose integration in 1972 was one of the largest changes in the marching band's history. Another shock to the marching band community in Nebraska during his tenure was the decline of Band Day under pressure from the Athletic Department, despite the best efforts of Snider and Lentz to preserve the tradition. "These two men have worked long and hard serving the best interests of Nebraskans. Snider's mark upon the band program, however, was perhaps not so much what decisions he made or trials he weathered, but the impact he made upon his students. Snider is remembered as a director who cared deeply about his students, and who spent considerable time and effort to support them.

Besides during WWII women had not been welcome in the marching band, with the exception of a handful of twirlers, despite the involvement of "co-eds" in concert bands. By the 1970s, women were pressuring the band program to allow them to join, threatening to lodge a discrimination complaint with the Faculty Senate Women's Rights Committee. Director Snider resisted, claiming a variety of reasons why the ensemble should remain all-male, including uniform sizing, physical demands, and increased expenses. The first years were likely not easy for the handful of women in the majority male band. Pages of Jack Snider's scrapbooks from that time are filled with articles written about the women from their hometown newspapers. In a clipping, one of the first five women, Lilly Coniglio, remarked to a reporter from that such attention "…put us in the spotlight and resulted in a lot of extra pressure." Gary Steffens, author of Pride of the Cornhuskers, admits that within the band's environment the women faced challenges from their peers as well. "I think we picked on the girls worst of all," Steffens wrote of a "semi-underground" publication produced by band members. 1972, Women were permanently added to the marching band. The first women were: Nancy Ringer, Nancy Wood, Ann Wood, Pat Stubbendick and Lilly Coniglio. Photo from This is from the Lincoln Evening Journal, September 2, 1972.

European Tour 1974

1974 brought with it the most impressive trip the band had ever yet attempted: 9 concerts across half a dozen European countries. After massive fundraising efforts by the band and alumni, the band set out to perform in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and visited Austria and England as well. They had planned on performing in London but a fire at the concert venue canceled the event. Along the way, the band faced challenges such as parades in narrow streets, lack of venues for marching exhibitions, and even one run-in with the Swiss military. However, the multi-week trip provided many memories for both band members and their audiences. May 15-June 6, 1974, 168 band members went on a European tour visiting Switzerland, Germany, England, Belgium and the Netherlands. They gave a total of nine concerts. This is the slide show of the bandâs experience, including the traveling and lodgings, the performances, and audience reactions. The narration is by KFOR sportscaster, Dick Perry.

The 1975 Season: A New Director and the "Ladies in Red"

In the fall of 1975, the band was under the charge of Dr. Robert Fought, who had big plans for the ensemble. He added 39 personnel to the band's membership, half of whom were members of a brand new flag corps. Dubbed "the ladies in red," the new group carried red and white banners which band staff member Rose Johnson recalls were attached to 8 foot poles. This expansion of the band was not altogether a smooth one; there was not room for them in the stadium. A Daily Nebraskan article in September explained that the Athletic Department provided 12 rows of seats for the band. 1975, Diane Miller Frost became the first female drum major. 1975-Sep-20, was the first performance of the Alumni Band at the UNL vs. TCU football game. 115 alumni marched, playing âThere is No Place Like Nebraskaâ during the pregame show. Some came from as far away as California, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. There were alumni from 1931 to as recent at 1974.

Dr. Robert Fought added a brand-new flag and dance corps comprised of 16 members plus three alternates. Dubbed the âLadies in Red,â the new group carried red and white banners attached to 8-foot poles with large, pointed tips on the top making them look like spears. The flags were not made of the lightweight silk fabric used today but were more of a canvas. Because of the size and weight of the flags, the corps wore white belts which contained a cup in the front in which the flagpoles were inserted while marching. Routines were minimal and mostly provided color while marching in formations. To make their debut at the first game of the 1975 season, the flag corps was âhiddenâ in the middle of the instrumentalists for the march to the stadium. They kept their flagpoles down and the flags unfurled. Of the members, 16 marched at halftime and were selected from week to week based on practice attendance, illness, and general ability. Original photo that was cover of the October 4, 1975, football program (Nebr. Vs. The next year, Diane Tangeman, featured twirler with the marching band from 1969-74, was asked to help for the 1976 season. By 1977, Joyce (Burns) Thimgan was asked to coach the flag corps. Thimgan was provided with numerous films of other women carrying 10-foot flags. As the flags were too large to spin, the women just carried them as decoration. Eventually, 6-foot fiberglass poles were purchased. The new fiberglass poles left a lot of painful fiberglass slivers in the hands until they were worn down and smoothed after use.

The Evolution of the Flag Line

We canât cover the history of flags in the Cornhusker Marching Band without mentioning the brief history of the Huskerettes in 1961-62. Although the Huskerettes were created to be a high-stepping dance team, much like the Rockettes, they occasionally incorporated large red flags during their halftime performances. The dance team was taught by Mrs.

In April of 1986, 23 present and former flag corps members with instructor, Carol Domina, participated in the filming of the miniseries âAmerika.â Filming took place in Tecumseh, Nebraska, as part of a fictional âLincoln Dayâ parade. The performers wore uniforms provided by the producers of the miniseries to look like a small-town flag corps. Each member was paid about $10 for appearing in the show. Over the years, the flag line continued to develop and change with the times. Beginning in the fall of 1987 and into the early 1990s, 5-foot poles were used, often made from fiberglass or aluminum. Because of the conditions of wind in the bowl of Memorial Stadium, tosses were hard to execute because of the light weight of the poles. In 1988, the name changed from Flag Corps to the Flag Line to reflect the more modern style that was popular in competitive drum corps. The flag silks also evolved to include color and design that reflected the theme of the halftime show. Eventually, the flag line returned to 6-foot aluminum poles with weights allowing more intricate choreography, and at last, flag swinging tosses. More recently, rifles have been included into the military themed shows around Veteranâs Day. For over 40 years, the UNL Flag line consisted of only female performers; however, in 2013, freshman Sam Guyer became the first male to join the line. He was one of only two men to try out for the line.

The Alumni Association

May 1, 1973, 217 members of the UNL Band program came together to form the University of NebraskaâLincoln Band Alumni Association (BAA) to establish resources for both long and short term projects for the benefit of the UNL Bands and to assist the Cornhusker Marching Band in raising funds for a three-week European tour.

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