Students who have attended a University of Connecticut home football game or looked on at the homecoming parade have probably heard UConn’s very own marching band. Dubbed the “Pride of Connecticut,” the group consists of enthusiastic student musicians who arrange spectacular routines for a number of athletic and campus events. This past Sunday, Oct. 13, the band had the opportunity to perform during halftime at the New England Patriots football game against the Houston Texans.
With over three hundred members, UConn chartered seven coach buses to transport the students and staff 80 miles to Foxborough, Mass.— the home of Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play. According to a UConn Today article announcing the special event, only about a quarter of the members are music majors; being a part of the marching band is a popular extracurricular activity.
“The bus ride was long but when we got to the field, it was thrilling being in an NFL stadium. Compared to the Rent, the stands are a lot more packed, [it is] more vast,” said Carter Bonura, a civil engineering major who plays the tuba. “We were able to show them the great show we have put in a lot of work to produce.”
Rentschler Field, the Huskies’ home football field, only seats about 40,000 people at its Pratt and Whitney Stadium in East Hartford. In contrast, NFL stadiums all have at least 60,000 seats, with Gillette Stadium counting in at 66,800. The marching band students and staff worked hard to rehearse at their on-campus practice field, but differences in NFL and standard college field markings meant that the group had to adjust their layout, said Director of Athletic Bands Dr. Justin McManus to UConn Today.
“Because of our size, because of our presence, we were kind of the next group [the Patriots] wanted to reach out to, to represent another aspect of New England,” McManus said.
“We’re the first band to be invited since COVID,” he added.
The group performed a seven-minute medley at the football game’s halftime— not only to the audience of thousands in attendance for the game, but also included as a component of CBS’ halftime report coverage of the day’s NFL games. In addition to the sections of musicians, including woodwinds, brass and percussion, the color guard and flag line provides an additional performance element to the marching band’s routine.
“[It’s] a very artistic component…the diversity of equipment and work is used to complement the band,” explained Rhianna Bauman, a second-year civil engineering student in the color guard. She was on the field as part of the show. “This game was an amazing opportunity for all the members, and we are so thankful…for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
It’s not often a college band is asked to perform at major league sporting events. The last time the UConn marching band performed at an NFL game was in 1996, at the Buffalo Bills’ home opener game. They’ve also played at the World Series at Yankee Stadium, college football bowl games and at national marching band competitions, according to prior reporting by the Hartford Courant.
“I didn’t truly process the magnitude of what we were doing until I actually stepped off the bus and saw Gillette [Stadium] and heard the crowd,” said Laila Hollis, a first-year chemistry student who plays the tuba. “I absolutely think it is valuable to have these types of experiences…it creates a memory of a lifetime getting to perform alongside some of your closest friends.”
With a history spanning over a hundred years, the UConn marching band regularly performs at the Huskies’ home football games, and the pep bands play at both men’s and women’s basketball and hockey games. Dr. McManus was named director of athletic bands in 2023 following the retirement of longtime director Dr. David Mills.
For more information and a schedule of band performances, visit band.uconn.edu/events.