A January 13 press release from whoever runs the College Football Playoffs advised the world that "... the marching bands of each participating team will be featured performers on the field during pregame and at halftime." While football fans may think the most exciting action on the field will come as the football teams compete this evening, the competition between the school's marching bands will be equally intense. Ohio State's band, which fancies itself The Best Damn Band In The Land, traces its origins to an 1878 fife and drum corps tied to the university cadet program. Many college marching bands have a similar origin story.
Their rival in the sound-making department tonight is The Band of the Fighting Irish, which claims an 1845 conception and birth. The band has gotten back together yearly, a longer string than any other college, so it claims to be America's First, America's Best. The Irish band played at Notre Dame's first football game on November 23, 1887, and have played at every home game since. Of course, since Notre Dame claims it's America's best and OSU says it's the best damn band in the land, something has to give at halftime tonight.
All that is just a setup for the real purpose of this story; to identify the first damn band in the land. More important, the first band in the land to march at halftime of a college football game. Nothing I found in the Notre Dame band's history claims that it was the first to march at halftime of a football game, and you know that if Notre Dame thought they could make that claim, they would all have told everyone about it. The same can be said of the Bucknuts' music makers.
So, which band was The First Damn Marching Band In The Land? Illinois claims it was the first to march at halftime in 1907, but they were a little late to the party. My explorations on that topic went elsewhere, including the city of twins in Minnesota. Their rivalry game with Wisconsin in 1895 saw 5,000 fans crowd into the athletic park,
…the greatest crowd that ever witnessed a football game in the Northwest. In the north bleacher, the university's cadet band was a rallying point for the rooters, and the maroon and gold was there the ruling color.
XX'Ski-U-Mah Was A Slogan Of Triumph,' Saint Paul Globe, November 17, 1895.

While the Gophers' band played at the game, there is no evidence they marched during the 10-minute halftime that was then standard. Likewise, West Point's band played at the 1899 Army-Navy game, and the newspapers indicate they provided a lively atmosphere before the game and at intermission. Still, we do not have confirmation they marched at halftime.
Another candidate is the Bugeaters of Nebraska, though they have since switched to calling themselves the Cornhuskers. The Nebraska band has a fascinating story since it originates in the university's Military Department. Like other schools with a Corps of Cadets, the U.S. Army assigned an officer to teach military skills to the cadets. In Nebraska's case, the individual assigned there in 1892 was 2nd Lt. John Pershing, who went on to lead a Big Band, the American Expeditionary Force, during WWI.
Looking to show off his cadet band and bring in additional recruits in 1892, Pershing suggested the cadet band play at the three-year-old football program's games, and so it was done. Nebraska's cadet band was of the marching sort, as photographs show.


Newspaper articles, in addition to the images, indicate that the 1894 Nebraska cadet band marched the team from the train station after its victories.
An 1895 article shows they played before football games and at intermission (halftime), but it is not clear they marched at halftime. Of course, I'm willing to believe they did so, and the university has better sources than mine, so I'll credit Nebraska as The First Damn Halftime Marching Band in the Land.
As always, please comment below if you have something to add to the story.
Here's to an exciting game tonight, and may the team with the best damn halftime marching band take the title!
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