Strike (Up) the Band      
    
   It must have been 1952. Hooligans were harassing my older cousin, a drummer in our high school band.

   Guess who, a pint-size, freshman trumpet player was safely near the top of the stands. Cuz talked his way out of trouble, and went on to Penn State where he marched for four years. We remember boys trying to overturn our bus - no cops anywhere. 

   In the 1930s, Michigan's band introduced Script Ohio as a friendly gesture in Columbus. Grateful OSU marchers later turned UM's idea into one of the nation's best known band maneuvers...to this day.   

   By the 1950s, UM stopped sending their band to Columbus...for its own safety.

   Earlier this fall, a Miami fan battered several musicians in Florida's band. And Iowa band members suffered "physical and sexual assault, verbal harassment and racial slurs" at Iowa State. One bandsman received broken ribs.

   Bands are easy targets for upset, sometimes inebriated fans. They can't get at the opposing team; the band is the next best thing. 

   Band members are at a disadvantage. Their uniforms make it impossible to blend in, and some carry bulky instruments. 

   Georgia's band once got dispersed outside a neutral stadium. It took two hours to reunite.

   Practicing is only part of game-day prep. Precautions include logistics, police presence, and tips for protection. Oklahoma's band director told his troops to remain in groups of at least three. Georgia's director tells members not to "return fire" when heckled. 

   A Clemson band-service fraternity enters alongside the visiting band. That seems to help.    

   Until fans stop treating wins and losses personally, this will continue.

        Jimmy