West Virginia University Mountaineer Marching Band The Mountaineer Marching Band , known as The Pride of West Virginia , is the marching band of West Virginia University located in Morgantown , West Virginia . The band was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy by the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 1997 . History . The band was formed in 1901 as an all - male ROTC Band with only eight members . The founding director , Walter Mestrezat , was a band leader during the Spanish - American War who led the First West Virginia Regiment in Cuba . The band ' s membership was exclusive to male ROTC members from its founding until 1925 , when eleven non - ROTC males were allowed to join the band with limited benefits . Citing the favorable bias toward military band members the eleven formed a " rebel " band . To gain recognition as an official student organization , the group formed WVU ' s initial Omicron Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi . Through the efforts of WVU president Frank Trotter , the rebel and ROTC bands were successfully merged into the University Marching Band . WVU ' s Military Department soon reached an agreement with the School of Music , allowing the band to be recognized as an official WVU music organization . Mestrezat increased the band ' s membership to approximately 70 members during his 37 year reign as the founding director . He retired in 1938 , when Bernard McGregor became the band ' s second director . The 1950s and 1960s began a new era in the marching band ' s history where it flourished largely under the direction of Larry Intravaia and Budd Udell . WVU ' s fight songs , " Fight Mountaineers " and " Hail West Virginia " were arranged for the band by Budd Udell during this era . They are the same arrangements the band plays today . The new songs and performances garnered the group significantly more attention than it had received in the past . 1971 began the 34 - year era of Don Wilcox , who served as the director of the marching band from 1971 to 1997 and the Director of Bands from 1997 to 2005 . During Wilcox ' s inaugural year the band was still limited to all - male membership and consisted of 88 members . The following year Wilcox endorsed women to become official members , marking the first time in the band ' s history ( other than the World War II era ) that woman were allowed to join the band . The 1970s saw one of the greatest periods of growth for the program through the efforts of its leadership and the band ' s association with the Mountaineer football team . As the football team became more renowned , the band garnered more exposure as well . The band performed at NFL games and two Peach Bowl s in Atlanta . During the 1975 Peach Bowl , an announcer coined the phrase " The Pride of West Virginia " , a term that would eventually become the band ' s official nickname . After Don Wilcox ' s retirement in 2005 , John Hendricks became WVU ’ s Director of Bands . Jay Drury , then assistant director , was named the 11th director of the WVU Marching Band . In 2008 the band grew to over 390 members , becoming the largest WVU Marching Band to date . Traditions . During its traditional pre - game performance , the WVU drumline enters Mountaineer Field through the home - side tunnel and performs the " Boogie " cadence . When complete , the remaining band members emerge from the south end - zone tunnels to a spirited , 220 - beats per minute run - on cadence . The band forms several iconic images during its pre - game show including the Flying WV , the initials WVU , expanding circles , and an outline of the state of West Virginia . The band plays several university songs and favorites including " " Country Roads " " , " " Hail , West Virginia " " , " " Simple Gifts " " ( from " Appalachian Spring " ) , " " Fight , Mountaineers " " , " " Mountain Dew " " , and the " " West Virginia University Alma Mater " " . Formation of the State . The band forms the outline of the state of West Virginia during the pregame show of all home Mountaineer football games . The outline moves down the field during the playing of " Hail West Virginia " , and the shape inverts to face the student side of the stadium when the crowd begins the " Let ' s Go . . . Mounaineers " chant . West Virginia is one of only two U . S . states with two panhandle s , the other is Alaska . West Virginia features an irregular oval body formed mostly by the Ohio River and a straight northern border formed by the Mason - Dixon line . The unique shape creates a complex formation on the football field . Adding to the difficulty of the performance is the inversion of the formation , the motion of the band members around the border of the state , and the movement of the outline across the field . Simple Gifts . While the song was originally performed by the band during the 1973 halftime show , Aaron Copland ' s " Simple Gifts " has become a pregame tradition . Soon after its debut as a pregame selection , then band director Don Wilcox decided to exclude the song from the show for one year . However , the high demand for " Simple Gifts " to be reinstated caused Wilcox to add the performance into the very next pregame show . The highlight of the performance begins when the band gathers in a circular formation in the center of the field . After a drum roll the colorguard thrust gold and blue flags into the air , raising and lowering them for emphasis . The formation then expands in concentric circles as the band begins the reprise . Composition . Any student at West Virginia University is eligible for membership pending an audition . The band currently has 390 - members . Direction . Jay Drury is currently the director of the Mountaineer Marching Band and holds the title of Assistant Director of Bands . The marching band and basketball pep band are assisted by Christopher " The Professor " Nichter . The Director of Bands , John Hendricks III , also serves as the conductor of the WVU Wind Symphony and Symphonic Orchestra . Don Wilcox , who served as Director of Bands for 34 years at WVU , a tenure that included 28 years as director of the marching band , currently holds the title of Director of Bands Emeritus . Performances . The band performs at every home football game and makes several local and national appearances throughout the year . When traveling the band requires ten charter buses , or equivalently two charter planes , to accommodate the band membership , faculty , and equipment needed for performances . " The Pride Travel Fund " was created before the 2008 season to help offset these costs . In the past decade alone the band has traveled to the states of Alabama , Arizona , Connecticut , Florida , Georgia , Indiana , Kentucky , Louisiana , Maryland , North Carolina , New York , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Virginia and the District of Columbia . The band is sometimes referred to as an ambassador of the state of West Virginia , often being selected to represent the state at political events . The band was invited to the Inaugural Parades of Richard Nixon in 1969 and Ronald Reagan in 1985 . In the fall of 2005 the band celebrated Constitution Day with a performance on the National Mall that was attended by the late Robert C Byrd , one of West Virginia ' s two representatives in the US Senate . In 2008 the band performed at the inauguration of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin in Charleston . The band has performed at many bowl games due to its close association to the Mountaineer football team . The band performed at WVU ' s first BCS Bowl Game , the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl , in Atlanta , Georgia . Significant national television coverage was provided for the band ' s pregame and halftime performances during the 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale , Arizona . Accolades . In 1997 , the WVU band was awarded the Sudler Trophy by the John Philip Sousa Foundation .