Grambling State University
“World Famed”
Tiger Marching Band
Our History
- In 1967 and 1968, the band performed in Super Bowls I and II, respectively, prior to the NFL championship game being officially called The Super Bowl. Grambling's 1967 performance has been named "One of the Top 10 Super Bowl Halftime Shows" by Sports Illustrated magazine.
- In 1972, the marching Tigers played in Monrovia, Liberia, at the inauguration of Liberian President William R. Tolbert.
- In 1976, the GSU band performed in the first-ever Pioneer Bowl in Tokyo, Japan.
- In 1977, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band performed in Mirage Bowl, Tokyo, Japan.
- In 1978, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band, pushed back at Halftime to introduce their first all-female dance line "ORCHESIS" to the World,
- In 1978, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band were Halftime Guest performers for Dallas Cowboys at the Original Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas where the showcased their Original 10 Members of GSU Orchesis Dance Line
- In 1981, the band performed in the Hollywood films Grambling's White Tiger (1981).
- In 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton performed (on saxophone) with the band for a halftime show in Grambling, Louisiana.
- In 1999, the Tiger Marching Band along with GSU's acclaimed dance troupe "The Orchesis Dance Company" was featured in a nationally televised commercial as part of Procter & Gamble's "Tampax Was There" marketing campaign.
- In 1999, the band was featured in commercial bumpers for Cartoon Network's "Cartoon Cartoon Fridays" block. They performed the main Cartoon Cartoons theme, as well as the theme songs for other Cartoon Network shows.
- In 1998, the band was featured in Super Bowl XXXII, alongside Boyz II Men, Martha Reeves and Smokey Robinson.
- In 1981, the band appeared in "Marching Band/Coke Is It," an award-winning television commercial developed for Coca-Cola USA by Burrell Communications Group.
- In 1982, Grambling State University World Famed Tiger Marching Band was Special Guest to the Emperor of Japan, perform in Osaka, Japan and halftime performers at the Tokyo, Japan Mirage Bowl game.
- In 2001, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band was included in the inaugural parade for U.S. President George W. Bush.
- In 2002, GSU World Famed performed in the motion picture Drumline.
- The band recorded an album entitled "A Tribute To Motown" Motown Records (2005).
- In 2006, "Season of the Tiger," a six-part docudrama aired, following members of the Grambling State University (LA) marching band and football team during the 2005-2006 football season. Produced by DAFT films and Black Entertainment Television (BET), "Season of the Tiger" was the second BET reality show to focus on life at a historically black institution (HBCU), and the first to highlight the competitive environment of marching bands at some HBCUs.
- In 2006 The Band Was Featured In NCAA March Madness 2006 (Video Game) Soundtrack
- In 2007, the band performed in the award-winning Denzel Washington film, The Great Debaters.
- In the 118th Tournament of Roses Parade (2007), Grambling State's marching band was the marching band in the Star Wars Spectacular, in which all members were wearing Imperial officer uniforms. This was the band's second time in the Tournament of Roses Parade: 1980 being the first time an HBCU band was selected to march and lead in the Tournament of Roses Parade.
- In 2009, GSU World Famed Tiger Marching Band was included in the inaugural parade for U.S. President Barack Obama.
- In 2010, the band's drumline, "Chocolate Thunder", performed at halftime in the NBA All-Star Game with artist Shakira.
- In 2013, the band was included in the second inaugural parade for U.S. President Barack Obama.
- In 2015, Drake mentioned the band in his hit song "Used to" featuring Lil' Wayne on his If You're Reading This It's Too Late mixtape.
- In 2016, Vice Media released a documentary covering the significance of GSU's marching band and the popularity of the annual battle against Southern University's Human Jukebox in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
- In 2019, select members from the band and Orchesis dance line were invited to perform for Beyonce and other guests at a private event in California during Coachella.
- The Tiger Marching Band have an average of 160 students with a grade points average of 3.00 or higher each year.
- The World Famed Tiger Marching Band was featured in the online festivities celebrating the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris on January 19th.
