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Murray State University

Festival of Champions History

1976 - Letter inside cover from Govenor Julian Carroll

1977 - The last Marching Throughbred Band

1977 - Marching Throughbred Band Brochure

Album Cover from 1978 Festival of Champions

1978 - The first Racer Band - Photo from back of FOC album cover

1978 Program - First FOC program with Racer Band on cover

Click on photos above to view full size.

The Murray State University Festival of Champions was established in 1976 by the Marching Thoroughbreds Band Director David A. Wells. The original Festival of Champions contest required Kentucky bands to receive a Superior or Excellent rating at the current or previous year's KMEA regional festival to be eligible to participate in the contest. Bands from other states must have participated at a competition comparable to the KMEA Festival to be accepted. The Festival of Champions presented the highest scoring Kentucky band with the "Kentucky Governors Cup," and the contest was billed as the "Kentucky State Championship." In 1986, Mr. Wells was present at the first KMEA State Marching Band Championship. He presented the Governors Cup(s) to the winning bands and the KMEA SMBC became the official home of the Kentucky Marching Band Championship. The first FOC was hosted by the Marching Thoroughbred Band. The band name was changed to Racer Band before the 1978 season. The adjudicators during those first years consisted of many well know and acclaimed educators of the time. A partial list of judges included John Armstrong, Chuck Campbell, A.R. Casavant, Dr. Charles Casavant, Larry Case, Jay Dawson, Jim Fern, Doyle Heffron, Jim Ott, Tom Roe, Fred Sanford and Dwight Somerville.

Mr. John Fannin, Director of the Racer Band, the Murray State Faculty and the Racer Band Staff and band members continue the tradition of showcasing high school bands at a marching band contest of the highest standard with an accomplished and nationally recognized panel of adjudicators. For more information, visit the Racer Band website at www.racerband.com.

	Grand Champion	Reserve Grand Champion
1976	Murray High School Murray, KY	Hopkinsville High School Hopkinsville, KY
1977	Murray High School Murray, KY	Christian County High School Hopkinsville, KY
1978	Lafayette High School Lexington, KY	Murray High School Murray, KY
1979	Christian County High School Hopkinsville, KY	Murray High School Murray, KY
1980	George Rogers Clark High School Winchester, KY	Christian County High School Hopkinsville, KY
1981	Columbia High School Columbia, TN	George Rogers Clark Winchester, KY
1982	Center Grove Greenwood, IN	Christian County High School Hopkinsville, KY
1983	North Hardin High School Radcliff, KY	Lone Oak High School Paducah, KY
1984	Center Grove Greenwood, IN	North Hardin High School Radcliff, KY
1985	Center Grove Greenwood, IN	Cicero-North Syracuse Cicero, NY
1986	Glasgow High School Glasgow, KY	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY
1987	Oldham County High School LaGrange, KY	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY
1988	Henderson County High School Henderson, KY	Muhlenberg Central Powderly, KY
1989	Lafayette High School Lexington, KY	Muhlenberg Central Powderly, KY
1990	Lafayette High School Lexington, KY	Greenwood High School Greenwood, IN
1991	Lafayette High School Lexington, KY	Muhlenberg North High School Greenville, KY
1992	Lafayette High School Lexington, KY	Muhlenberg North High School Greenville, KY
1993	Lafayette High School Lexington, KY	Elizabethtown High School Elizabethtown, KY
1994	Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School Lexington, KY	Daviess County Owensboro, KY
1995	Calloway County High School Murray, KY	Christian County High School Hopkinsville, KY
1996	Daviess County High School Owensboro, KY	Union City High School Union City, TN
1997	Elizabethtown High School Elizabethtown, KY	Central Hardin High School Cecilia, KY
1998	Daviess County High School Owensboro, KY	Boone County High School Florence, KY
1999	Boone County High School Florence, KY	Elizabethtown High School Elizabethtown, KY
2000	Daviess County High School Owensboro, KY	Muhlenberg North High School Greenville, KY
2001	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY	Christian County High School Hopkinsville, KY
2002	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY	Murray High School Murray, KY
2003	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY	Daviess County High School Owensboro, KY
2004	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY	Muhlenberg North High School Greenville, KY
2005	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY	Murray High School Murray, KY
2006	Daviess County High School Owensboro, KY	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY
2007	Daviess County High School Owensboro, KY	Marshall County High School Benton, KY
2008	Calloway County High School Murray, KY	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY
2009	Marshall County High School Benton, KY	Calloway County High School Murray, KY
2010	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY	Muhlenberg County High School Greenville, KY
2011	Eastern High School Middletown, KY	Murray High School Murray, KY
2012	Murray High School Murray, KY	Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY

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