TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pride of Arizona was officially awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy during halftime of Friday night’s University of Arizona football game, becoming the 34th collegiate marching band to receive the honor.
“This is such a cool milestone. I feel like every year I've been in Pride, something amazing has happened, and our organization just keeps getting bigger and better,” band member Zoe Juliano said.
The milestone honors both the present and the past.
“Something we talk about a lot is how our alumni and everyone that came before us are really the people who built this organization into what it is today,” Juliano said. “So yes, we're celebrating us who are in it right now, but this is also a celebration of everyone who came before us.”
The University of Arizona alumni band was on hand to show support, including its president, Nate Kirchner.
“That trophy is them. But it’s all of us. It really is just an amazing experience, and we’re really just grateful,” Kirchner said.
Kirchner noted that the alumni band spans several generations.
“We have people who marched in the first Super Bowl more than 50 years ago. We have people from all different directors who have come back to play in the alumni band,” he said.
The John Philip Sousa Foundation awards the Sudler Trophy every two years to a collegiate marching band for outstanding contributions. A band can only win the award once.
This year, the Pride of Arizona was selected from a record 18 nominees nationwide.
“I think we all take this very seriously. We have fun with it, obviously, but we all put in an exceptional amount of work—not only with the music, but the marching side of things as well,” Juliano said.
From performing at the first Super Bowl to receiving the Sudler Trophy, the Pride of Arizona continues to march strong.
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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
