Badger Marching Band leader Mike Leckrone's last home football game was ...

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The dude's last game as band leader after 50 yrs was the loss to the gophs. Well played Gophers!
 

He saw a lot of bad football in the first half of those 50 years, and a lot of good football in the second half. So, being there for a stinker in his last game wouldn't be an unknown to him, although not so much lately.
 

I think if you're in the band you get that ... stuff is going to happen.
 

It’s a B1G tradition for B1G marching bands to play the fight song of the visiting team during the pregame show. I’ve been to madison for every game the Gophers have played in madison since 2006. Mike’s band has always been the only B1G band to play a version of the Rouser that is so bad that literally nobody there can recognize it.

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Some garbage happened under his watch. I'm glad he went out on a low note, gophers providing it or otherwise.

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Wisconsin band is full of a bunch of tools.
 

It’s a B1G tradition for B1G marching bands to play the fight song of the visiting team during the pregame show. I’ve been to madison for every game the Gophers have played in madison since 2006. Mike’s band has always been the only B1G band to play a version of the Rouser that is so bad that literally nobody there can recognize it. It’s sad that sportsmanship at sconnie is so bad that it extends to the band nerds. I’m not sad to see “mike” retire


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They use the old arrangement of it, rather than the arrangement we use now, which Dr. Bencriscutto arranged when he was the Marching Band Director. The older version was a little more woodwind heavy I believe, and since Wisconsin doesn't have very many woodwinds, it becomes unrecognizable when they play it.

Fun Fact: The version they use has a key-change in it. Which also means part of it (or all of it) is in a different key than the modern version, making it even harder to recognize.
 

I've never understood why he is so well liked and respected around the country. There's a reason his band was suspended and is banned from traveling here.

Glad to see him end on a low note as well and glad he's gone. Hopefully they get someone more responsible to lead the band. I get that college kids don't always behave as they should but Wisconsin's band had a much worse reputation than most other prominent bands.
 

I've never understood why he is so well liked and respected around the country. There's a reason his band was suspended and is banned from traveling here.

Glad to see him end on a low note as well and glad he's gone. Hopefully they get someone more responsible to lead the band. I get that college kids don't always behave as they should but Wisconsin's band had a much worse reputation than most other prominent bands.

What’s the story of why their band was banned from traveling to Mn?
 



I have a question for Taji34. I have asked this question before on other threads but didn’t get and answer, I don’t think. Why does our band play the Rouser so slow (I’m not a musician, so I don’t know the proper terminology-tempo?). I heard a high school band in Texas play it, as their school song, more up tempo and it sounded much better. Also when the NW band was here we played Go Northwestern before the game much slower then their band did at halftime. Their version sounded much better because it was faster. When our band played both songs they just seem to have dragged. I guess I never noticed this before.
 

The good: 5th quarter tradition. Spirited and have small groups play throughout the stadium. Tuba parade.
The bad: Marching style looks like they have a neurological problem, so they sound like crap as they stomp around.

They have or had a book called “the Bible” which had dirty versions of all school songs, Xmas carols, pop songs, etc. Some brilliant creativity with the lyrics. I had a roommate in grad school that had been a tuba player in the band and he used to sing these. Still can’t hear Deck the Halls without hearing the alternative lyrics. They do have fun.
 


I’m not a band guy so I have no idea if he was good or bad as a band director. The two reasons he is highly regarded broadly by UW alumni are 1) he invented the fifth quarter and helped keep games fun in the 70’s and 80’s and 2) he taught a few engaging ‘clap for credit’ classes that met a liberal arts humanities requirement. These were big classes that had a lot of students. I’d say at least half of my friends took one of his classes. I took ‘Legendary Performers’ by him. Learned about Jelly Roll Morton, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, etc. it was really fun.

I too have heard about the band misconduct. Keep in mind this band comes from the same is the student body that chants FU-ES. Not sure you can put it all on him.
 
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What’s the story of why their band was banned from traveling to Mn?

From Wiki: "The Wisconsin marching band is also on probation from traveling to University of Minnesota home games because the last time the Wisconsin band traveled there members caused substantial damage to campus property, including stealing a door."
 

Some garbage happened under his watch. I'm glad he went out on a low note, gophers providing it or otherwise.

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I forgot about the hazing. According to older alums it was bad back in the late 80s so yeah.
 

I have a question for Taji34. I have asked this question before on other threads but didn’t get and answer, I don’t think. Why does our band play the Rouser so slow (I’m not a musician, so I don’t know the proper terminology-tempo?). I heard a high school band in Texas play it, as their school song, more up tempo and it sounded much better. Also when the NW band was here we played Go Northwestern before the game much slower then their band did at halftime. Their version sounded much better because it was faster. When our band played both songs they just seem to have dragged. I guess I never noticed this before.

Well I'm not the best to ask about this. I would say for the rouser we probably play it the same tempo as written, and haven't felt the need to change it?

As for northwesterns song, it must be a higher tempo than or matching for pregame. It's hard to play and march at two different tempos

These are just guesses though.
 

It’s a B1G tradition for B1G marching bands to play the fight song of the visiting team during the pregame show. I’ve been to madison for every game the Gophers have played in madison since 2006. Mike’s band has always been the only B1G band to play a version of the Rouser that is so bad that literally nobody there can recognize it.

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I heard the same from someone who was there. Just brutal.
 

What’s the story of why their band was banned from traveling to Mn?

I believe they've destroyed a lot of things. Wikipedia says they did damage to University of Minnesota property. From what I've heard, they also trashed a hotel one time when they were here so now even if the university allowed them back, none of the local hotels would let them stay.
 

I believe they've destroyed a lot of things. Wikipedia says they did damage to University of Minnesota property. From what I've heard, they also trashed a hotel one time when they were here so now even if the university allowed them back, none of the local hotels would let them stay.

I do not think the Wisconsin Band has been to a game at TCF ever, in fact the last time I recall seeing them were that 2003 and 2005 games at the Metrodome. I am not sure how they could have destroyed an U of M property as they were never on campus.

There may be some bad blood though, possibly related to how hard they allegedly had made it for any visiting band to come to Camp Randall, relative to the hospitality provided by Minnesota, NU, MIchigan and other schools that have invited ithem in.

As a side note the Nebraska Band was at Camp Randall this year, the first time I have ever seen a visiting band on a TV game there, and they sat in the corner were the Gopher fans were last week. Also, the Ohio State band plays a very unusual version of the Rouser as well, that actually sounded OK.
 

I do not think the Wisconsin Band has been to a game at TCF ever, in fact the last time I recall seeing them were that 2003 and 2005 games at the Metrodome. I am not sure how they could have destroyed an U of M property as they were never on campus.

There may be some bad blood though, possibly related to how hard they allegedly had made it for any visiting band to come to Camp Randall, relative to the hospitality provided by Minnesota, NU, MIchigan and other schools that have invited ithem in.

As a side note the Nebraska Band was at Camp Randall this year, the first time I have ever seen a visiting band on a TV game there, and they sat in the corner were the Gopher fans were last week. Also, the Ohio State band plays a very unusual version of the Rouser as well, that actually sounded OK.

They may have gotten dressed in uniform and possibly rehearsed on campus. I'm not sure of the details but I've heard stories of them damaging properties from many people who were involved in the Minnesota band at the time.

I don't think it's related to how they treat visiting bands. From what I've heard that's all on their athletic department, not the band.
 

Fairness in savagery...I attended both schools. I am also a long time high school band director in the metro area. I can shed some light on this....

1. I was in the band from 1980-85 and was present at the game in the Dome in 1983. The "damage" mentioned earlier was the tuba section taking a door off the hinges at the hotel (Nicollet Avenue) and (somehow) smuggling it back to Madison. The music department wrote a check to cover the damage/repair. There was also some irritation at the band staying past the allotted post-game time (they turned the lights out) in the Done. All the Gopher sites used by the band, I can attest, were left in good condition.

2. Over my career I've had many students march in most of the prominent colleges band in the midwest. Many former students (including my own kid) have marched in the Badger band without incident. Any organization with 300-plus members is going to have its share of idiots. Tough to hold the leader accountable for every little thing (see Gopher football) that students might do.

3. The Rouser arrangement used by the Badger Band is original--Leckrone has always written his own arrangements. I heard it at their final Friday practice before the game. As a music person I found no problem with it.

4. Many on this board might be too young to know this but Leckrone applied for, and was turned down, for the Gopher band job in 1968. He was also turned down by Wisconsin the same year. Wisconsin called him back in 1969. The B1G band landscape might have looked very different had a different decision been made the the U of M music department back then.

Personally I happy the Goph's won. The oldest rivalry in college football needs to have some "parity" to keep things fresh. While I'm not sold on Fleck let's look forward to a more spirited rivalry for the "Axe" going forward.
 

Who the Frick cares!


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