By Stephen J. Gaither
A corner was turned Friday night as ESPN’s Band of the Year — a showcase for HBCU marching bands — returns for a second year.
The event brought what seemed to be a larger crowd than the inaugural event, and the visiting HBCU Band Leaders got a fun show from start to finish.
ESPN Band of the Year 2024 brought a new element to the competition by adding two local high school bands. Jonesboro High held off Southwest DeKalb High as both marching bands, known for feeding HBCU bands across the country, were ready to show they were more than a novelty.
It was also a night for new blood in the rivalry between HBCU bands. Both the Division II and Division II championships featured teams that competed in the inaugural event last December. The North Carolina A&T Blue and Gold Marching Machine returned to Mercedes-Benz Stadium as not only the defending champions, but the number one ranked team from September to November.
The Virginia State University Trojan Blast showed up in Atlanta to finish second in the Division II standings. Group director Dr. Taylor Whitehead announced from band camp that he wanted to return to Atlanta and finish the job.
“From the first day of band camp, I told my students and their families that we would be here today,” he said. “We wanted to work hard and come back to this event and shine as one of the best bands in the country.” Those programs competed against first-place teams in the showcase—Florida A&M at the Division I level and Miles College at Division II.
FAMU, one of the top-ranked marching bands in all of college football, is back in a familiar place. Dr. Shelby Chipman, director of the FAMU group, estimated that 40 to 50 members of his group are from the Atlanta area. Last year, the group took 1st place. 7 in Division I.
Members of that group and their teammates showed off by holding off NC A&T to take home the Division I national title as the championships were announced Friday night after the results of the first event weren’t announced until the next day. This was another improvement from year one to year two.
And then there was Miles College. The small, private HBCU in Fairfield, AL stood out among its larger, land-grant contemporaries. Just competing was a sacrifice, as it required an upfront investment from the school to accommodate band members during the Christmas holiday leading up to the championship. Professor Willie Snipes, director of Miles College’s Purple Marching Machine Band, said being named ESPN Band of the Year means he and his band have already won.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity because so many of my students are in unsafe places,” Snipes said Thursday. “I’m also an insecure fondant. So when they go home for vacation, one of my biggest prayers is for them to come back, and I thank you for the opportunity to show my students that there is more to life than what happens in everyday life.”
Snipes and Miles College didn’t just show up, they showed they belonged. The Purple Marching Machine put its best foot forward and took the Division II national title for a storybook ending.
Snipes proudly accepted the trophy, then cried briefly before proudly handing the trophy back to his team as they were booed from the stands.
It’s safe to say that ESPN Band of the Year has made going to Atlanta as important for HBCU marching bands as it is for football. It’s even more opportunistic when you consider that it’s open to all HBCUs — not just the MEAC and SWAC like the Celebration Bowl. With Red Lobster on board as a sponsor, this showcase for these rhythmic symbols of HBCU pride looks set to continue to grow for the foreseeable future.
