Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, La.). Dept. of Bands.

The LSU Tiger Band was organized in 1893 as a cadet band with 11 members and became a marching unit by the turn of the century. The band primarily played for the many military dress reviews and drills held regularly on the parade grounds, but it also marched in Mardi Gras parades and made its first halftime appearance in 1924. Governor Huey Long imported Castro Carazo, orchestra leader at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, as the new bandmaster in 1934, changed the football band's military dress for a more showy stadium look in its current colors of purple and gold, and increased its size to nearly 250 members. Female members were included in 1943 and the band department was established as a component of the LSU School of Music in 1945. The Ballet Corps, which evolved into the LSU Golden Girls danceline; the Twirling Corps (majorettes), eventually called "Tigerettes" in later years; and the LSU Colorguard, a flag-twirling unit, were all established between 1959 and 1971. The Tiger Band was named the All-American College TV Band in a one-time national contest sponsored by General Motors in 1970. It received the Sudler Trophy as the best college marching band in the country in 2002.