After months of anticipation and intrigue, the Fabulous Four have been chosen for the inaugural ESPN Band of The Year to award the top HBCU marching bands in Division I and Division II/NAIA.
The two finalists at the Division II level are Florida Memorial’s “The Roar” Marching Band and Virginia State University’s “Trojan Explosion.”
The two finalists at the Division I level are the North Carolina A&T “Blue and Gold Marching Machine” and the Jackson State University “Sonic Boom of the South.”
The four institutions were extended invites on Monday evening after being among the ten marching bands considered, five at each level. All four bands finished ranked in the top two in their respective categories, but the Band of The Year committee needed to make sure that the bands would get the support they needed from their institutions. All four confirmed support from their administration, including housing the students over part of what is traditionally winter break.
North Carolina A&T and Jackson State University are no strangers to the national stage as both have performed in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Celebration Bowl. NC A&T in 2017-2019 and Jackson State in 2021 and 2022.
Jackson State University Director of Bands Dr. Roderick Little says Atlanta is also a heavy contributor to the Sonic Boom.
“Atlanta is a hotbed for us, I would dare to say probably in the 50 percent, maybe a little bit over of the students that we get in our program are from Atlanta,” Dr. Little said. “We have a large alumni base there. And so they are always seeking an opportunity to see their band program. We always like to have an opportunity to go and perform for them as well.”
It’s a different story for the bands in the Division II/NAIA category.
Virginia State University hasn’t performed in Atlanta in quite some time, and Director of Bands Dr. Taylor Whitehead is ecstatic about the opportunity.
“Too often and this is why even Mr. Grant, that I’m just excited that Division two bands were considered for this, because most people only consider Division one bands to be the good bands,” Dr. Whitehead said. “However, my band director, Earl Horton, long ago told me it wasn’t about the quantity, it was about the quality. And so we deliver on that promise that while we might lack in numbers, we promise that we will still compete with the best of them from a quality standpoint. And that’s what we’ve focused on all year long.”
And then there is Florida Memorial. Not only is it the smallest band in the field – it is the newest HBCU Marching Band. The program debuted in 2020 as the school launched its football program that fall before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Richard Beckford has been at the helm since the beginning and he was ecstatic to find out his program would be featured in the the Band of The Year competition.
“Once we gave birth to the program, the opportunity to just put Florida Memorial and South Florida on the map was, I think, in our hands,” Dr. Beckford said. “And for us to have grown in the four years that we’ve been here to what we’re doing now and to even be recognized by the organization is a great honor. I’ve seen people come up and cry at games because they never expected for more to get this kind of notoriety. And we’re very, very grateful as a bandstand to be able to bring this kind of attention to South Florida and to our university.”
The ESPN Band of The Year title will be determined Dec. 15 in the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta, GA with the show starting at 6 PM EST. It will be simulcast on ESPN3 and ESPN Plus.