Spirit of Troy The Spirit of Troy , also known as the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band ( TMB ) , self - described as " The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe , " ( EVER ) represents USC at various collegiate sports , broadcast , popular music recording , and national public appearance functions . The Spirit of Troy is the only collegiate band to have two platinum records . The group has performed with numerous celebrities including John Williams , Michael Jackson , Diana Ross , Doc Severinsen , George Clinton , Fleetwood Mac , The Three Tenors , John Dolmayan , Shavo Odadjian , The Offspring and Radiohead . In addition , the band has performed for five U . S . president s , at the Summer Olympics , and on the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards , and the season 7 finale of " American Idol " . A contingent of the band has performed at every USC football game , home and away , since 1987 . It also makes an international trip at least every other year . The Trojan Shrine , the symbol of USC and popularly known as " Tommy Trojan " , was originally supposed to be named " The Spirit of Troy " . History . The TMB ' s first recorded performance was on November 1918 when , at the end of World War I , members of the TMB led a victory parade of America ' s returning servicemen in New York City . " Fight On " , the fight song of the University was composed in 1922 and became a part of the TMB tradition . In 1923 , the school ' s alma mater , " All Hail " , was composed by a member of the TMB , Al Wesson . The TMB gave its first national radio concert on CBS on April 19 , 1929 . The band participated in the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles , forming the Olympic Braid in the opening ceremonies in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ( coincidentally USC ' s home stadium ) . After wearing various uniforms over the years , particularly those with a military - style , the band began using basic , unadorned Trojan - style helmets and uniforms in 1950 . Three years later , the TMB adopted " Conquest " , a song composed by Alfred Newman for the film " Captain from Castile " as a victory march . The TMB made its first trip outside of California in 1954 , traveling to Portland , Oregon to play a USC - Oregon game that the Trojans would win , 24 – 14 . During the Grammy Awards of 1966 , TMB trumpet alumnus Herb Alpert won three Grammy Awards , including Record of the Year . Dr . Art Bartner took over the program in 1970 , and began shaping the band into its current form . Women were allowed to join the band in 1972 . After several more uniform changes , the TMB began using more elaborate Trojan helmets with brushes , visors , and ear flaps in 1972 . In 1973 the TMB began its tradition of sending the full band to games at USC - Notre Dame rivalry games at Notre Dame Stadium . In 1979 , the TMB was invited by Fleetwood Mac to perform and record " Tusk " , the title song for the album " Tusk " . The album went double - platinum and was adopted as a part of the TMB ' s traditional selections . Additionally , the band later played on another multi - platinum Fleetwood Mac album , " The Dance " ( 1997 ) . During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles , Dr . Bartner directed a 800 - member All American College Marching Band , 125 of which were members of the TMB . 1987 featured several significant moments for the band : The TMB trumpets performed the fanfare for Pope John Paul II in his visit to Los Angeles , the band performed during Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena , and the band began its current streak of attending all USC home and away football games . In 1988 , the TMB performed again at Super Bowl XXII in San Diego , at the Expo ' 88 World ' s Fair held in Brisbane , Australia during that nation ' s bicentenary . The band took several more international trips in the 1990s , including to the Berlin Wall after its fall , Amsterdam , Brussels , Innsbruck , Japan , the then - EuroDisneyLand in France , the Seville Expo ' 92 , and to France to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the D - Day Landings . The band also participated in Super Bowl XXIV in New Orleans , the opening ceremony of the 1994 FIFA World Cup . In 1993 , USC alumnus and then U . S . Representative Christopher Cox welcomed the band from the floor of the Congress . In 2003 , the TMB performed during the Chinese New Year celebration in Hong Kong , a year later it also played at the Great Wall of China , Xi ' an , Shanghai as well as returning to Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year . The TMB participated in Expo 2005 in Nagoya , Japan , while also performing in Tokyo and Kyoto . In 2006 the TMB went to Italy and performed in Venice , Florence and in front of the Colosseum of Rome . In 2010 , the band traveled to Shanghai , China , once again to play for United States National Day at the 2010 World Expo . At the end of the 2008 season , the TMB appeared in the 95th Rose Bowl . This marks the 33rd time USC has played in the " Granddaddy of Them All " . Ties to the entertainment industry . The Spirit of Troy has appeared in several movies and television shows , including : The band also appeared in the Academy Award shows of 1976 and 2000 as well as at the 2004 Grammy Awards with OutKast . During the 2009 Grammy Awards , it accompanied Radiohead . The band appeared with Beyoncé Knowles and Hugh Jackman on the 81st Academy Awards in 2009 . The Spirit of Troy was used for the opening broadcast of ESPN ' s West Coast " SportsCenter " from Los Angeles . The television drama " House " used a section of the Spirit of Troy to play an April Fools ' Day prank on its cast during taping . In 2009 , the band played on the show Dancing With the Stars . The USC drum line performed with Tommy Lee at the 2009 Guitar Center Drum Off . On April 17 , 2010 , the band performed Welcome Home with Coheed and Cambria at the Coachella Music Festival . In fall 2010 , the band was used to film the promo video for the return of the television show " Hawaii Five - 0 " . The band has played at the Hollywood Bowl ' s " Tchaikovsky Spectacular " for over 20 years , helping supplement the Los Angeles Philharmonic during an " 1812 Overture " finale .