With the crowd bellowing 'Wahoo! Wahoo! Wahoo!' the U.Va. marching band enters Scott Stadium Saturday. van View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

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FIRST U.VA. MARCHING BAND IN 40 YEARS TAKES THE FIELD

Area University of Virginia students step to the call of the inaugural Cavalier Marching BandHARLOTTESVILLE--Kenton Griffin felt a rush of adrenaline as he waited in the tunnel of the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium to step on the field for the opening home football game against the University of North Carolina on Saturday.

Date published: 9/17/2004

By MARTY MORRISON MULTIMEDIA: See a multimedia presentation by The Free Lance-Star Photography Dept. (4.8MB, requires FlashPlayer)

"I'm ready," the former James Monroe High School lineman nodded to fellow Cavaliers who snapped into formation to familiar drum beats signaling their entrance onto David Harrison field.

"Wahoo! Wahoo! Wahoo! UVA!" he shouted in unison with other members of the Cavalier Marching Band. They drilled from the tunnel to the goal line, then to the 50-yard line--to the deafening cheers of 62,000 football fans.

It was a history-making moment for the school that welcomed its first marching band in 40 years.

"I've had dreams of this for a long time," said Griffin, a stocky third-year history major.

"It's ironic that I had to join the marching band to feel that rush," he said later. "It was all I expected and more."

He clutched a U.Va.-furnished platinum trumpet that reflected his military-style blue uniform in the 80-degree sun.

Beneath Griffin's genteel, white-feather Cavalier hat, a contented grin spread across his face.

Tradition rules at Mr. Jefferson's university.

Freshmen are called "first years" and students walk the Grounds, not the campus.

A caped Cavalier mascot on horseback ushers in the football team before every game, and fans join arm-in-arm to sing "The Good Ol' Song" (a reworded version of "Auld Lang Syne") after every touchdown.

And for nearly 30 years, the helter-skelter Pep Band has scrambled onto the field and delivered raucous tunes and irreverent skits aimed at riling the opposing team.

Until last year.

The final straw came at the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl after a brazen spoof of West Virginia prompted the university's president and the state's governor to demand an apology.

U.Va. officials permanently banished the band from the field. They could still play at other school activities, but not athletics.

The following spring, longtime philanthropists Hunter and Carl Smith earmarked $1.5 million of a $22 million donation for the creation of a marching band.

Pep Band supporters cried foul. They liked the raffish, opponent-poking uniqueness of the student-led musicians.

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Date published: 9/17/2004