2011 Armed Forces salute, Morgantown, W.Va.
The band's halftime show during the WVU vs. Norfolk State game on Sept. 10, 2011, paid respects to the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. The Pride performed a medley of songs that tipped its hat to all branches of the military – Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force and Navy.
The performance was posted on YouTube that November. Within a month, it garnered
more than 1 million views and it made a list of marching band viral videos on the
Time magazine website.
Today the WVU tribute to the armed forces boasts more than 5 million views.
1975 Peach Bowl, Atlanta, Ga.
The nickname "Pride of West Virginia" was coined at this very performance – by someone with no West Virginia or WVU ties.
Fulton County Stadium public address announcer Marshall Mann referred to the WVU
Marching Band as "The Pride of West Virginia." That name latched on, as the band
has been affectionately known as the Pride ever since.
1983 Maryland game, College Park, Md.
Another gem from the Don Wilcox-era of the band. Wilcox is responsible for shaping
the band into the popular group it is today. As you can see, many of the same arrangements
and formations from this era continued.
2014 McDowell County, W.Va.
During a luncheon with community leaders in downtown Welch in early 2014, WVU President Gordon Gee asked, “What can West Virginia University do for McDowell County?” A local Extension agent replied, “What would it take to bring the Mountaineer Marching Band down to McDowell?”
Fast forward a few months and the band loaded onto nine buses to make the four-and-a-half
hour drive to the town of Bradshaw to perform for more than 2,000 people.
It had been 26 years since the Pride last performed in McDowell County. Yes. They
kept count.
The history behind the pregame
In this video produced by the WVU Marching Band, take a trip to yesteryear and see and hear the evolution of the band's pregame performances, with selections including "Fight Mountaineers," "Simple Gifts" and "Country Roads."