West Chester U.’s “INCOMPARABLE” Golden Rams Marching Band to Perform at Halftime for Philadelphia Eagles Home Opener
The West Chester University “INCOMPARABLE” Golden Rams Marching Band will again represent West Chester University on the national stage when it takes the field on Sunday, September 19, 2021, at the Philadelphia Eagles home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
The band was the last to perform on Lincoln Financial Field for the NFC Wildcard Playoff
game on January 5, 2020, a game that was lost by the Eagles. Shortly after, the world
shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No one was on the field for Eagles halftime
shows during the 2020-21 NFL Season.
Now, the Golden Rams are the first band to be invited back to the field to perform a five-minute halftime show. Adam Gumble is the Director of Athletic Bands at West Chester University.
Gumble says, “Our experience performing for the Eagles in 2020 was fantastic, but the university was on Winter Break, so not everyone could participate, and we didn’t have access to our uniforms. Alumni performed with us to fill-in for students who couldn’t be there.”
Gumble adds, “This year, we are so excited to don West Chester’s purple and gold and to showcase the full majesty of the “INCOMPARABLE” Golden Rams Marching Band.”
The five-minute halftime show is a modified version of the band’s typical pre-game show that is performed before every WCU football game. It includes West Chester University’s alma mater fanfare – altered to include an Eagles chant – Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer,” and will conclude with the Eagles fight song in a new arrangement by Andy Yozviak, a WCU Wells School of Music professor and director of bands.
“Playing for 60,000+ fans in an NFL stadium is amazing for all involved,” says Gumble, “And it’s also a fantastic experience for our students. At the playoff game in 2020, we loved taking the field with over 100 of our INCOMPARABLE Alumni in modified black and green uniforms provided by the Eagles. This year promises to be just as special.”
The “INCOMPARABLE” Golden Rams Marching Band performs regularly at WCU football games, numerous exhibition events throughout the region and at special events for the university and community. The band has performed at Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, New York Giants and Washington Redskins football games. The group has been featured during Philadelphia Phillies World Series appearances, marched in New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Golden Rams have performed in exhibition at the 2013 Atlanta Regional, the 2012 Pittsburgh Regional, and at the Bands of America Grand National Championships in both 2009 and 2018. In 2019, the band became the first from a Division II school to win the coveted Sudler Trophy, known as the “Heisman Trophy” of the collegiate band world.