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Rice University Marching Owl Band

lockmat

By lockmat
in Sports and Stadia

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lockmat

lockmat

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http://blog.kir.com/archives/2007/11/todd_grahams_in.asp

Well, as predicted in my post at the time of Graham's job change, it was just a matter of time before Rice's notorious Marching Owl Band ("the MOB) would have an opportunity to comment on Coach Graham's antics, and that opportunity presented itself this past Saturday during halftime of the Rice-Tulsa game at Rice Stadium.

...

Childish for sure, but nothing out of the ordinary for the MOB. And it was certainly not even as clever as the MOB's theme for their halftime show during Rice's bowl game against Troy last year...(punch line inside the link)

I'd love to hear more stories from Rice grads or fans. It's so funny to hear of such a thing going on a place like Rice.

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cnote

cnote

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I used to think the MOB was funny.

Then I graduated high school.

Did you go to aTm? I know the band is serious business there.

My favorite MOB story is when they played "Oh where, oh where, has my little dog gone?" after one of the Revelies(sp?) died... But Dante's Inferno as a basis for a halftime show is pretty good!

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marmer

marmer

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I was in the MOB from 1980 to 1983 and was the Drum Major in 1983. I was the Drum Minor (really!) the year before that and was the first marching electric bass player in the SWC.

Highlights of MOB life: The famous A&M show, which happened in 1975, was still a fairly recent memory. Specifically, the MOB had made fun of the then-recently deceased A&M canine mascot, Reveille. There was a very phallic fire hydrant formation on the field, the band played "Where oh where has my little dog gone?" and show assistants wandered around with those invisible dog leash-things. Angry Aggies trapped the MOB in the tunnel of Rice Stadium and they were evacuated in campus food service vans.

Our first visit to Kyle Field after this confrontation came in 1981 or so, and we were scared of what reception we might get. We designed a very straight up patriotic show which ended with the playing of the national anthem, forcing not only the Corps but also the whole crowd to give us a "standing ovation." The next year when the Ags brought their band to Rice Stadium, their formation fell apart spectacularly. It was embarrassing. We were accused of blowing whistles to confuse their band (wish we'd thought of that!) but analysis of the video showed that one of their line leaders turned too early and the whole thing fell apart.

There was also, just before my time, a UH game at the Astrodome where the Hofheinz staff took exception to the script references to "the world's smallest domed stadium" (the Superdome or Kingdome or something had just opened.) and the use of umbrellas by the band. (because of roof leaks)

We were very friendly with UT and always had a party for their band when they came to Rice (they did the same when we went to Austin.) They had a song about A&M sorta like the "Bellaire High" song mentioned in an earlier post, to the tune of "Far Above Cayuga's Waters." I remember one line from it: "Fly infested, CRAP! (the whole band shouted CRAP!) encrusted." Our most elaborate show while I was there was "UT: the Ultra-Terrestrial" about a small alien stranded on Earth and adopted by a bunch of UT frat boys. I also remember a trip to Austin where we did Oreo rolling on 290 from the sliding door of a 1962 VW Microbus. Oreos come apart pretty spectacularly when they roll at 55 mph.

We did a show, I think at Texas Stadium in Irving during the glory days of SMU. Their band had a variety of colorful jackets and spats, and they did look pretty sharp. They referred to themselves as the "Best-Dressed Band in the Land." We all wore dresses.

That's enough reminiscing for now. The President's Office did look at our scripts, but the censoring hand was very light indeed. They asked us to avoid formations that were obviously obscene. We had to be careful with formations like rockets, fire hydrants, airplanes, things like that.

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RedScare

RedScare

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marmer, you're about a year off, which is to be expected at your age. I should know. I went to A&M from 1979 to 1982, and things are fuzzy to me too.

To be sure, I am that rare breed of Aggie that LOVES the MOB. I appreciate what the Aggie Band does as well, but I have a soft spot in my heart for uber-intelligent types performing lowbrow humor. Rice and Duke both do so exceptionally.

The Aggie Band collapse was in 1981 at Rice Stadium. I was at a party afterwards attended by some of the band members...worst party EVER. Other than the band screwup, what I remember most about the game was the 8 foot tall paper mache penis in the Rice student section that "throbbed" as it were, to the Aggie Band beat. Quite amusing to me. Again, not so much to my Aggie friends.

I was also at the 1980 return of the MOB to Kyle Field. I was not around for the 1975 spoof, but the sight of the MOB getting a standing O from the Kyle Field fans was pretty impressive...and rare. I am glad to have been a witness to both events.

While I do not miss the SWC per se, some of the shenanigans perpetrated by SWC schools were classic.

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RedScare

RedScare

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I almost mentioned that one. :lol: He was a friend of mine, and lived in my dorm. He's actually a decent guy, and not near the type of hardcore Aggie one would expect to have pulled that stunt (unlike many other CTs I have known). I still have the Chronicle front page pic as well.

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marmer

marmer

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marmer, you're about a year off, which is to be expected at your age. I should know. I went to A&M from 1979 to 1982, and things are fuzzy to me too.

Fair enough. Thanks for the correction.

To be sure, I am that rare breed of Aggie that LOVES the MOB. I appreciate what the Aggie Band does as well, but I have a soft spot in my heart for uber-intelligent types performing lowbrow humor. Rice and Duke both do so exceptionally.

The Aggie Band collapse was in 1981 at Rice Stadium. I was at a party afterwards attended by some of the band members...worst party EVER. Other than the band screwup, what I remember most about the game was the 8 foot tall paper mache penis in the Rice student section that "throbbed" as it were, to the Aggie Band beat. Quite amusing to me. Again, not so much to my Aggie friends.

Oh, yes. I remember that...item. A decoration, I believe, for the Night of Decadence party. It was eventually confiscated by a sheriff's deputy, prompting our then Drum Major to say: "That's right, officer. Speak softly and carry a big dick!"

I was also at the 1980 return of the MOB to Kyle Field. I was not around for the 1975 spoof, but the sight of the MOB getting a standing O from the Kyle Field fans was pretty impressive...and rare. I am glad to have been a witness to both events.

Thanks. About half of my high school graduating class went to A&M so I had several friends there then.

While I do not miss the SWC per se, some of the shenanigans perpetrated by SWC schools were classic.

Yeah, it's not the same with C-USA. The teams are usually better matchups but the rivalries just aren't there.

FYI, there was a lot of discussion about various sword skits/jokes after the famous sword incident, but frankly we were too scared to do anything with it.

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RedScare

RedScare

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So what exactly is goin on in this pic? A Rice Mob member pulled a sword on an smu band player?

No, it actually occurred at a game with SMU. Coincidentally, this was also during the 1981 football season. The Aggies were playing the Mustangs at Kyle Field. The Corps selects one unit's seniors each game as "officers of the day". They don't do anything official, except stand on the sideline in uniform with their Sam Browns and sabres. This student was a member of Squadron 2, and they were officers of the day for the SMU game.

SMU cheerleaders back then would run onto the field and form a human "S", then an "M", then a "U" after the team scored. This cadet mistakenly believed that only players were allowed onto the field, and ran onto the field, sabre drawn, to order the male cheerleaders off the field. Needless to say, the cheerleaders thought they were about to be gored, and tackled the cadet. Another photo I have shows the tackle. A couple of photographers got pics, sent them out over the AP wire, and on Monday morning, A&M...and the cadet...were world famous.

Considering that this was pre-internet, the speed with which the photo made it around the world, was to say the least, stunning.

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marmer

marmer

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Yeah, yeah, Stanford. Some of the Ivies do the nerd band thing too. Usually it happens when a band program figures out it doesn't have the numbers or people with the desire to do the traditional big college marching band thing. Certainly it's no shame to be associated with that crowd, and besides, Rice is in Houston!

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  • The title was changed to Rice University Marching Owl Band

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