The name was originated when Hodge, while listening to the radio, heard the song, "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise" by Les Paul and Mary Ford.

Immediately, Hodge called Ray Nicholas, the bugle instructor, and told him of his idea to change the name of the corps to the "Sunrisers".

With continued improvement, the Sunrisers won the American Legion National Championship in 1968 and proved to be a steady contender in the DCA circuit.

The following season began slowly but finished with the Sunrisers slipping past the Cabs by .05 at prelims and by three points at the championship finals.

The 1978 Sunrisers became the first DCA corps to earn a perfect score in the Brass GE (general effect) category.

With the field being covered in wet mud, making marching conditions poor, the decision was made to cancel the finals competition and award the championship based on the prelims scores.

The corps hit its peak in 1997, taking 4th place with a score of 92.00, playing a challenging show featuring the music of David Holsinger.

The corps recorded a then-record high Class A score of 83.988 in the finals competition and captured Best Percussion, Brass, Visual, and Overall Effect awards.