Razorback Marching Band Honors Former Director With Revival of Pregame Tradition

Bill Woolly

Razorback Marching Band

Friends, family and alumni of the U of A Bands frequently visit the Razorback Band Digital Archive to watch halftime shows or enjoy pregame traditions from over the years. The U of A's David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History established the site in 2021 as a way to make publicly accessible over 700 performances of the Razorback Marching Band since 1963.

When Jeffrey Summers was named director of the Razorback Marching Band in July of this year, he too spent time reviewing the beloved pregame traditions of his predecessors and noticed that while much of the heart of the band's pregame has remained the same over the years, there have been some changes. 

And one change in particular stuck out — a fanfare.

"Looking at our pregame performances throughout the 1970s, you notice a brief fanfare just before the band marches down the field with Arkansas Fight," Summers said. "It brought a great deal of anticipation and excitement to the performance." 

And that's when Summers started mulling over the idea of bringing back a version of the pregame fanfare. 

"A good example of that old tradition can be seen in a performance prior to the Sept. 15, 1979, game versus Colorado State," he said. "That fanfare was a pregame staple during the first decade of the Razorback Band under the direction of Eldon Janzen."

Janzen, who passed away in December 2022, was director of bands and director of the Razorback Marching Band from 1970-1995. He conducted the band during hundreds of football games over the years, including on-field pregame performances that included the fanfare. 

With this and the historic footage in mind, Summers saw an opportunity to honor the former director by incorporating elements of his design back into pregame. 

"Eldon's legacy as a leader of the band shaped the lives of so many future educators, businessmen, musicians … you name it," he said. "Taking features from the Janzen bands of the 1970s and blending them with modern traditions feels like a great way to honor him and those he taught. It adds a meaningful new, but old, pregame tradition for our fans."

Fans have come to expect the existing Razorback Marching Band pregame as it is, but this Saturday they can keep an eye out for a special addition — the revival of that old traditional fanfare to honor professor Janzen. 

"We are excited to bring this tradition back in Little Rock this Saturday," Summers said. "Go Hogs!"