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.
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 |
| 2013 | Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY | Daviess County High School Owensboro, KY |
| 2014 | Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY | Daviess County High School Owensboro, KY |
| 2015 | Murray High School Murray, KY | Calloway County High School Murray, KY |
| 2016 | Calloway County High School Murray, KY | Barren County High School Glasgow, KY |
| 2017 | Castle High School | Jasper High School |
| 2018 | Cancelled | Weather Conditions |
| 2019 | Murray High School Murray, KY | Madisonville-North Hopkins Madisonville, KY |
| 2021 | Murray High School Murray, KY | Christian County High School Hopkinsville, KY |
| 2022 | Murray High School Murray, KY | Christian County High School Hopkinsville, KY |