Marching Chiefs - FSU Marching Chiefs Traditions

FSU Marching Chiefs Traditions

"Skull Session" - The Chiefs perform together at a pregame "Skull Session" before each home football game in Tallahassee. When Manley Whitcomb came to Florida State University from Ohio State University he brought several traditions with him, one of those being the "Skull Session." The idea is that the Chiefs get the music into their skulls before the game and can focus more on the marching and visual performance during the game. Originally, Skull Session was held in Opperman Music Hall but has since become a public performance. Now, performing on Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium (located next to Doak Campbell Stadium), the Chiefs perform section cheers and then go on to give the audience a sneak preview of the day's halftime show selections. Most section cheers tend to be either well-known pop songs, opportunities to poke fun at school opponents/other sections or inside jokes. All cheers are arranged by students who are current/alumni Chiefs.

"Come On and Go" - This is a pregame tradition which the band opens with. The drumline begins by playing the cadence "Come On and Go" as the band "Chief Steps" out onto the field from under the stadium. As the cadence progresses, the band performs a double-time high step known as "Go Cadence" onto the field.

"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (Retired)- This was a tradition that started in the early 1980s when the Chiefs were under the direction of Dr. Bentley Shellahamer. As the Florida State football team was finishing its on-field pre-game warm up exercise routine, the Chiefs joined the team's vocals. As they finished, the players lined up shoulder to shoulder on the fifty-yard line, held up their helmets and walked in a side-by-side line toward the North end zone as the Chiefs played the "main title" theme from the 1966 film "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" which has been arranged into "G.B.U.", an extended intro which then leads into the playing of the "FSU Fight Song," or the "Warchant". Even though this tradition was retired in 2010, the Chiefs still play "G.B.U." in the stands.

"'Flushing' The Field" - The Royal Flush, during every pregame performance, "flushes" the field by running around the Seminole head logo at the center of Bobby Bowden Field while the head drum major stands at the center of it. As the rest of the band transitions to the team entrance formation, The Royal Flush follows and the entire band ends the exit cadence by counting aloud the number of Flush members and ending with "Flush!" This can be heard on each and every recording of the Exit Cadence.

"Roamin' The Stadium" (Retired)- The Roamin' Bones "roam" the stadium during 3rd or 4th quarter and perform different arrangements from the Bone Book, their collection of musical charts written specifically for the Roamin' Bones. The Roamin' Bones no longer roam the stadium.

"The Hymn To The Garnet & Gold" - Most Chiefs will agree that their favorite school song is what is commonly known as "The Hymn". When Florida State University was looking for an alma mater, several composers sent in their contributions. The Hymn did not make it as the official FSU Alma Mater, but it lives and thrives as a long-standing school tradition, as the Chiefs sing it at the end of every game.