Band History:
The first UB band was formed in 1920 and was student-led. Many of the original 15 members were from the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and performed small concerts, marched at university football games, and played at home basketball games.
 1919-20 UB Band |
 1926 Football Game |
Since 1927, student and faculty efforts were made to restart the UB Band with little success. However, in 1946, Gerald Marx, a history and government student, organized the new UB Band. Mr. Marx was a saxophone player attending the University on the GI Bill when he brought together approximately 50 student musicians. This band marched and played in the stands at UB football games and at men's home basketball games. They also held formal sit-down concerts, including one in Kleinhans Music Hall - home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. After Marx's graduation in 1948, other student directors led the band until Amherst High School Band Director John "Spike" Krestic took the podium in 1950.
1952-53 UB Band
In 1952, an Air Force ROTC unit was activated, and with the assistance of Mr. Krestic, a ROTC Marching Band was created. Soon after the ROTC band assumed all marching responsibilities on campus, including at UB football games. The UB Band continued performing in concerts and at basketball games.
The fall 1956 season marked a great change in marching band activity on campus. Following a terrible performance by the ROTC band at the first game of the season, the new University Chancellor, Clifford Furnas, charged the recently created music department with the task of "cleaning up" the marching band.
Department of Music Chair Cameron Baird directed Dr. Robert Mols, professor of Music Theory and Instrumental Performance, to take charge of the marching band. Dr. Mols composed "Victory March" for the band to play after each UB score, and at the end of the game. Mols decided that the new look of the band was to be that of the Ivy League: blue jackets, checkered slacks, white shoes and flat white hats. The "new" Marching Band opened to great success at its premiere, thanks to both the refitting and many weeks of practice. In 1959, Buffalo Philharmonic member and University Instructor of Horn, Lowell Shaw, took over as director of the marching band, while Dr. Mols continued to direct the Concert Band.
 "Cleaned-up" Band |
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University President Clifford Furnas brought Frank J. Cipolla to UB as Director of Bands in 1961. Mr. Cipolla moved the UB Marching Band to an entirely new level of quality, recognition, and fun. The University purchased new uniforms for the band and Livingston Gearhart wrote a band arrangement of the UB Alma Mater. Like all great marching bands of the time the band had a nickname, "Pride of the East." At the conclusion of the marching season, auditions were held and two concert bands were created, the UB Concert Band - mainly composed of music majors - and the University Band - made up of students of all majors. The marching band was composed of students of all majors and interests.
 UB Band's Logo |
 Delta Chi Omega Crest |
New organizations and traditions were started. The marching band traveled to play at one away game per season. In 1962, the band service fraternity, Delta Chi Omega, started and the band service sorority, Sigma Beta Chi, was established shortly afterwards. To increase awareness, Mr. Cipolla created Band Day an event that involved high school bands from the area joining the UB Marching Band to perform a unified show. Musicians on the field numbered just over 1000 players. In 1968 the marching band had the distinction of being the first group member of the University to move to the new north campus. The band occupied what was known simply as the "Band Building" on UB's north campus, now called Bissell Hall. Another distinction the band had was in January of 1969; the Pride of the East marched in Richard Nixon's Presidential Inaugural Parade. Between 1961 and the early 1970's the band grew from 50 to almost 300 members.
 Band Day 1962 |
 1965 |
 UB Drum Major - 1968 |
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 Inaugural Parade |
 Peace Symbol - Controversial Halftime Show - 1969 |
In 1962, the University of Buffalo joined the new State University of New York system, becoming the State University of New York at Buffalo. This change eventually led to the elimination of the football team, the marching band and band camp. This left Director of Bands Frank Cipolla to conduct only the Concert Band and University Band until his retirement in 1991.
A new football program was started in 1977 and entered at Division III. In 1981, a small group of spirited students organized a "pep band" to play at home football games. One year later, Division of Athletics faculty member, Steve Wallace, began to advise the band as it became a Student Association club. With this the UB Pep Band was born. Membership grew to 120 during the late 1980's and early 1990's. Plans to restart a marching band were proposed many times by members of the pep band with little success. In the spring of 1996 the band service fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi completed colonization of the Kappa Eta Chapter on campus. The organization's main purpose was to provide service to UB's college bands. Akron Central School Band Director Mark Flynn became the pep band's director in the fall of 1996.
 Pep Band - Football 1998 |
 Pep Band - Basketball 1999 UB vs. North Carolina |
In the fall of 1999, UB Bulls Football returned to Division I-A. With this, the University decided a marching band was once again a necessity. Through the efforts of members of the Pep Band, Kappa Kappa Psi brothers, local high schools, Student Affairs, and Athletics a new marching band was created. Mark Flynn was made director. Temporary uniforms were assembled, music was purchased, and musical instruments were borrowed - including sousaphones - and band camp was held for the first time in 30 years. The new band, nicknamed "Thunder of the East" (a name chosen by students), made its official debut on September 11, 1999.
UB Marching Band - "Thunder of the East" - 1999
The "Thunder of the East" started its second season in the fall of 2000 with new uniforms provided by a grant from the John R. Oshei Foundation, and new silver instruments from the Seymour H. Knox Foundation. Dr. Mols, the composer of "Victory March," wrote new words to UB's fight song after the band was unable to locate the original words (if they ever existed at all). In late fall 2001, the 90-member band made its first away game trip, traveling to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, to cheer on the Bulls and perform a halftime show at Army's Michie Stadium.
 2000 Marching Band |
 2001 Marching Band |
