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| - The Pride of the Southland Marching Band has been performing at halftime for more than one hundred years, but has existed since 1869 when it was founded as part of the Military Department, forerunner to the school's ROTC program. It is one of the oldest collegiate band programs in the country. Its instrumentation in 1883 was entirely made up of cornets. The band continued to grow to between thirteen and seventeen members, and in 1892, it was reorganized under Ernest H. Garratt. The band wore West Point-style uniforms like the rest of the cadets in the Military Department and had a more varied instrumentation, including a clarinet. At the turn of the twentieth century, William A. Knabe was appointed as band director. He was the first “full-time” band director; Ernest H. Garratt had also served as an organist, choirmaster, musical director, and director of the Glee Club. UT won the first (documented) game at which the band performed in 1902. By 1917, the band had changed to World War I style uniforms and doubled in size. The band grew along with the military units on campus. By 1935, the band boasted eighty-five members, but remained all male due to the band’s continued association with the Military Department. In 1937, an all-female contingent called the "Volettes" began performing with the band. Its membership ranged from fifty to ninety. The 1940s brought women into the band. One of the first women to play with the band was Martha Carroll, who played the lyre, and a marimba player named Marjorie Abbott. By 1946, women outnumbered the male members of the band, due to World War II, and the lack of male students. By 1949, the band was once again all male, but retained female majorettes. Major Walter Ryba was properties master for the Army and Air Force ROTC at Knoxville and also for the Army ROTC at the University of Tennessee-Martin campus. The name, "Pride of the Southland", was a "committee" decision of the band members, themselves, on morning of October 15, 1949,as they stood around on sidelines at Legion Field in Birmingham awaiting to practice for the afternoon game. They were waiting for Alabama's "Million Dollar Band", under direction of "Colonel" Butler, to finish its practice. That afternoon as the band came out on field and paused for introduction, for the first time was heerd over loud speaker by 44,000 fans present and the radio listeners, "Presenting The University of Tennessee's Pride of the Southland Band under the direction of 'Major' Walter M. Ryba," It was generally felt that Ryba did not know ahead of time that he was receiving a "commission". In 1961, Tennessee native W. J. Julian was hired as an associate professor and director of the UT bands. Under Julian's leadership the band grew in size, prestige, and reputation. The band was then removed from the ROTC department and placed under the Music Education Department. Julian also designed the band’s signature navy, orange, and creme-colored uniforms, which paid homage to the band’s military past and are still a tradition to this day. Some of the many traditions established under his direction are the pregame formations, opening the T, Rocky Top, and Circle Drill. Although Julian retired in 1993, the band still upholds the tradition of excellence he set. Besides representing the State of Tennessee in the last 13 presidential inaugurations, the band has appeared at the many bowl games the Tennessee football team has traveled to throughout the nation. Additionally, due to Julian's influence, the Pride is the only band in the Southeastern Conference that uses the traditional chair step marching style; it is one of the few outside the Big Ten to use this physically demanding style. It is also the only SEC band with a strutting, Big Ten-style drum major. In March 2007, The Pride traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to play at various concerts and in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. The current Director of Bands is Gary Sousa. The Associate Director of Bands is Donald D. Ryder. The Assistant Director is Michael Stewart.
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