Index to Projects and Awards

The Sudler Trophy HONORING THE CLOSE HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP AND OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION OF COLLEGE MARCHING BANDS TO THE AMRERICAN WAY OF LIFE – AN ANNUAL AWARD TO RECOGNIZE A COLLEGE MARCHING BAND OF SPECIAL MERIT

Purpose 

The purpose of the Sudler Trophy is to identify and recognize collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life.  The Sudler Trophy will be awarded annually to a college or university marching band which has demonstrated the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, and which has made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands over a number of years.

The Sudler Trophy is made possible by a grant from Louis and Virginia Sudler of Chicago, Illinois.  The annual presentation is administered and implemented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

The Sudler Trophy is one in a series of awards developed by Mr. And Mrs. Sudler and the Sousa Foundation to recognize and to encourage excellence in the various aspects of band work.  The marching band is a force which reaches countless students and audiences throughout the nation, and the purpose of the Sudler Trophy is to recognize the outstanding work and contribution of college and university marching band directors.

The trophy has been designed by the distinguished artist Ed Blackwell.  It has been executed by Dieges and Clust, who also produce the Heisman Trophy.  Consisting of a bronze drum major astride a football stadium and mounted on a marble base, the trophy stands 22 ½ inches high.

Procedure

Each fall, a nomination form shall be sent to every NCAA marching band director requesting said director to nominate two bands that he or she believe meet the criteria and philosophy of the Sudler Trophy Award.  These nominations will be returned by November 1 to the Chair of the Sudler Trophy Committee.  Forms will be tabulated and the top two bands as determined by the nomination forms will be placed into consideration for the award.  In addition, the members of the Sudler Trophy Committee will be asked to nominate their top two choices for the award and to submit their nominations to the Chair of the Sudler Trophy Committee.  The top two bands from this process will also be placed into consideration for the award.

Directors of the four bands selected by the above process will be contacted and asked to submit supporting materials for their nomination, including a performance videotape, historical videotapes or archival materials, significant printed materials or photographs and audio materials.  Materials should show how the nominated band fulfills the purpose of the Sudler Trophy Award.  Materials will be due to the Chair of the Sudler Trophy Committee by December 15.

The selection committee will convene in December at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois and review all submitted materials, arriving at a final choice for the award.  All nominees will be promptly notified in writing as to the decision of the selection committee.  Nominees not selected may participate in future selection procedures if re-nominated.  Any given university or college band may receive the Sudler Trophy only once.

Presentation 

The formal presentation of the Sudler Trophy will take place at a time and site mutually agreeable to the recipient and to the Sousa Foundation.  The recipient will be presented with the traveling trophy, which may be displayed at the recipient’s school during the following year.  The school will receive for permanent possession a large plaque, on which will be engraved the names of the university along with current and former marching band directors.  The current and all former marching band directors will receive personal plaques, and will be invited to participate in the presentation ceremonies.  Each member of the band will receive a personalized certificate.

All publicity distributed by the Sousa Foundation will stress that the award has been given for long time contributions of that school and its directors.  This is in keeping with the purpose of the award, which is to publicly recognize outstanding achievements by a collegiate marching band over a period of years.  This is NOT a contest to select the BEST college band in any given year.

“When Walter Camp established the rules for football in 1880, he could hardly have foreseen the effect the halftime break would have on the course of American music.  The struggle for places in the marching bands that flourish during the football season can be as spirited as competition for berths on the team itself.  For every Rose Bowl trombone player strutting before a national television audience, there are thousands of aspirants practicing and hoping to be there someday."...............from “The Story of America” a Readers Digest Publication

Louis and Virginia Sudler

Louis and Virginia Sudler were long-time supporters of the Sousa Foundation through their tireless efforts and their generous contributions.  The many projects that bear their names have been endowed in perpetuity by the Sudlers.

Louis Sudler was the rare combination of successful businessman, a performing artist, and a patron of the arts.  He was the founder of the Chicago real estate firm, Sudler and Company.  He appeared nationally as a soloist in concert, oratorios, with symphony orchestras and concert bands, at functions honoring five U.S. presidents, and as a recording artist; a baritone, he was a member of the Chicago Civic Opera. 

Primarily known for his work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he was chairman emeritus of The Orchestral Association, he had also demonstrated an active interest in bands and band music.  

Past Sudler Trophy Recipients