According to a retrospect in the September 7, 1967 Targum, Rutgers President William Demarest formed the ROTC band in 1915 That year, it first appeared at the October 16, 1915 home game against Muhlenberg College. But it didn’t appear continuously at football games until 1920. He commented, “It’s bound to be an improvement over the Fife and Drum Corps.” In 1922, they became a part of the Rutgers Music Department and started continuous halftime formations in 1927. After breaking off from the military affiliation in the 1960s, the band was the first unit to introduce the ‘Ivy League’ style of straw hats and blazers. In 1966, they set precedent by bringing in Scott Whitener from Michigan who brought ‘Big Ten’ styled uniforms to the East. The 1967 season saw them in eight halftime shows including a Princeton performance that Whitener called, ‘a psychedelic experience.’
Again Congratulations to ALL the members of the Rutgers Band past, present and future!
Again Congratulations to ALL the members of the Rutgers Band past, present and future!
