The 1973 season was one of intense competition…
The only corps to defeat Santa Clara that year was the Troopers… and it only happened once. At DCI in Whitewater, WI, after two days of prelims, came the final, telling performance. Fourteen thousand fans in Warhawk Stadium sat in tense silence waiting for the second-place score to be announced…
“And now in second place, with a score of 86.15 … the Troopers.”
At that moment, the stands erupted into such a deafening roar, the announcer’s voice, barely audible under all the cheers and applause read the final score,
“…And in first place, with a score of 88.65… the new DCI champions… the Santa Clara Vanguard!”
The corps had won 27 contests that year — including the big one. The was only the second year that DCI hosted championships and Santa Clara had landed themselves in first place. The drumline also went undefeated that year, and was to remain so for two consecutive years.
This is an ongoing volunteer effort to document the history of Vanguard Music and Performing Arts. Submissions and corrections are welcome as we continue to add more content. history@scvanguard.org