Titan football game days will never be the same.

This weekend the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh debuts its new Titan Thunder Marching Band, an undertaking well over a year in the making.

The group of about 80 students will perform as part of the festivities around the UW Oshkosh football team’s season opener Saturday, September 3rd at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. The Titans clash with the Tigers of East Texas Baptist University at 1 p.m.

UWO Titan Thunder Marching BandChandler Sumner-gehrig, A Senior Music Education Major At Uwo, Is The First-ever Titan Thunder Drum Major. 
 

The marching band is under the leadership of Joe Scheivert, director of athletic bands, who came to UWO in June 2021 to build the program from the ground up. When he came on, the Titan Thunder had a name, the passionate support of the administration and little else.

For the past 15 months he’s worked on everything from designing uniforms to securing a practice field to recruiting both current and prospective students to be a part of the Titan Thunder. The group assembled for the first time earlier this month for the start of preseason band camp—a fun but intensive experience to ready the musicians, twirlers, color guard and more for Saturday.

Coach Jennings UWO FootballPeter Jennings’ first game as head football coach at UWO is Saturday.

 

The game also kicks off a new era of Titans football. The program is now headed up by Peter Jennings, who was hired in March. Jennings, who spent the past four seasons as offensive coordinator at UW-Whitewater, is the 23rd head coach in the program’s 126-year history and follows Pat Cerroni, who retired last November after 15 seasons.

Saturday’s opener is the first of four home games for the Titans’ 2022 season. The remaining games at Titan Stadium are all in October: UW-Platteville on Oct. 1, UW-Stout on Oct. 22 and UW-La Crosse on Oct. 29.

UWO Titan Thunder Marching BandThe Titan Thunder Marching Band will perform at all four UWO football home games this season.

 

The addition of the marching band means more game-day festivities. That includes the new Titan March, where at 11:45 a.m. the Titan Thunder will march with the football team from the Titan Athletic Bands Center (the former Associated Bank building on Sawyer Avenue) to Rush Avenue, then Josslyn Street and then on to Titan Stadium.

The band’s repertoire will be a mix of both classic marching band material and contemporary pop—plus one new original: “Go Mighty Titans,” the new UWO fight song. Written by alumnus David Gillingham, an accomplished composer and retired music professor, the new athletics anthem will be a staple of UWO sporting events for years to come.

UWO Students at Football GameUWO students started the move-in process this week—just in time for the first football game.
 

The Titans enter the season ranked No. 19 in Division III. With a new head coach, marching band and fight song ready to go, the only missing element is a boisterous home crowd.

That’s where you come in.

East Texas Baptist University vs. UW Oshkosh
Saturday, September 3, 2022
Featuring the debut of the Titan Thunder Marching Band
10 a.m.: Parking lots open
11:45 a.m.: Titan March
12:40 p.m.: Pre-game show
1 p.m.: Kickoff

Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 students and ages 5 and younger. UWO students also get in free with their student ID.