page_title: The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band
section_title: Directors
hierarchical_section_title: The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band / Directors
caption_attribution_description: The Drum Major for the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band during the pregame on September 1, 2007.
context_page_description: The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, known as "The Pride", is the student marching band for the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
context_section_description: With the success of the football program in the 1950s, so increased the visibility of the Pride. Their halftime programs, centered on themes that would incorporate well-known songs of the day, were soon being broadcast on television during games. They received the grand prize as the best overall unit in the 200-unit 1961 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade held in Washington, D.C.
  Since the 1950s, the Pride has been under the leadership of several different band directors and with those directors came different styles. The 1960s saw band director Gene Braught bring a style of precision marching filled with intricate routines creating geometric shapes and lines. 
  Gene "Coach" Thrailkill transitioned the Pride to emphasize technique and sound – but not at the expense of the overriding goal to support the Sooners. During the 1983 Bedlam game at Oklahoma State in Stillwater, the Sooners fell behind 20-3 early in the 4th quarter. Stillwater police took Thrailkill off the field for not having a sideline pass. Incensed, Thrailkill told the Pride to "start playing and don't stop until we're ahead!" The band complied, and played "Boomer Sooner" non-stop – and after roughly 300 times, the Sooners were ahead 21-20. Barry Switzer and the Sooners awarded the Pride the game ball, and labeled it "The Day The Pride Won" as proof.
  In 1987, the Pride was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy, the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for university bands and an award no band may be awarded twice. As of 2006, the Sudler Trophy has been awarded 25 times; the Pride was the sixth recipient of the award.
  Thrailkill also introduced the current pre-game show, which has been used continuously in one form or another for over 35 years. In 2011, Bleacher Report ranked the Pride's pre-game show the third best pre-game show in college football.
caption: 2007 Drum Major Chauvin Aaron leads the Pride during its pregame performance before the Sooners play the University of North Texas Mean Green on 2007-09-01.
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