Kansas State University Marching Band

[1] In 2015, the Pride of Wildcat Land was awarded the Sudler Trophy, which honors the nation's top collegiate marching bands.

In 1887 Professor Alexander Brown organized fifteen student-musicians into the first band at the Kansas State Agricultural College.

Now attracting approximately 2000 high school and middle school students converging each year on Manhattan, the day-long event includes a morning parade through the center of town, and a massed band performance at half time of that afternoon's home football game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

[2] In 2017, Director Frank Tracz initiated a new attraction for high school students called the All Star Band.

Membership to the marching band is earned every year on an audition basis the week prior to the start of classes.

Students representing every college on campus, and nearly every curriculum, work many hours a week in rehearsal during the marching season.

The band presents Wildcat Victory in various forms throughout athletic events, from a short excerpt of the introduction to a full version, complete with singing.

Following a school name change, the song was altered by removing the letters KSAC (Kansas State Agricultural College), replacing them with KSU.

A petition, signed by most of the student body, was presented to Sousa on October 10, requesting that he compose a Kansas State Agricultural College march.

It is now an integral part of the pregame show at every football game, and is normally one of the selections you will hear the "Pride" playing in parades that they march in.

The band director at that time, Phil Hewett, just happened to have taken this one piece home from the library that very night to do some work on the arrangement, thus making it the only selection to survive the fire.

Since then, the Wabash Cannonball has come to represent the survival of the underdog in the hearts and minds of all true K-State fans, and has earned a secure place in the KSUMB's history and traditions.