Standing on the edge of Autzen’s metal stands, you witness the bright lights shining down on the Oregon Ducks running from end zone to end zone and the pool of yellow-clad Duck fans below your eyes. You taste the tailgate food in the back of your throat while yelling endlessly “Oooo” with your hands in the air. But you feel, while your ears are flooded with noise from loud cheering, the beat and bang of the drum line.

Dating back to 1908, the University of Oregon band has played a vital role in the atmosphere at Duck games. Its members were a part of the football team when they were playing at Hayward Field up until 1967. And during the Vietnam War, where they were booed for their military-like music, the band continued to strive to excite the team and its fans.

At the heart of the marching band, the percussion section leads the entire stadium to cheer for their Ducks.

“Everything we do, we do to support the athletic program,” said senior Eric Bloombaum, center drummer and section leader for the Oregon marching band.

The drum line is a sound that has been so closely related to college football, but at the UO, it can be heard at many other sporting events as well. The drum line is a part of men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, softball and recently, women’s soccer. Snare drummer Anthony Castro started the support for performing at women’s soccer games.

When at Papé Field and witnessing the new drum line energizing the women’s soccer team, one would notice that they almost never stop playing, a luxury that can’t happen with football or basketball.

“If we get the chance to play, we’ll play,” Castro said.

At the collegiate level, sports use the drum line more so than at any other level. Though there are two NFL teams with a game-to-game marching band, the Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens, the impact and importance of a collegiate band far outweighs those at the NFL level.

“There’s a few professional teams that have a drum line,” Bloombaum said, “but they don’t really play in the stands, they do some tailgating stuff and rally the fans outside before the game. I feel like the drum line, as an activity, is more centered around people our age.”

One focus of the band is to give players extra energy, but their main focus is to help ignite the crowd.

“I think a bigger part of it is giving the fans more energy so everyone helps support the team,” Bloombaum said.

Though most fans go to college football games for the game itself, without the band or drum line, it would be incomplete experiences. Oregon alumnus and director of marching percussion, Micah Brusse, says the drum line provides a “primal nature” in exciting the fans.

“It really helps, at least on some level, that unity, and helps bring everybody together, at least mentally,” Brusse said.

Though football doesn’t get all the energy, Brusse commented, the drum line also magnifies the experience of smaller sports.

“There is another element of the University coming together to support the activity on the field,” he said.

In reflecting on some of his most memorable experiences, Bloombaum shared his perspective on tailgates.

“It’s just a really cool moment to bond with fans that I might never see again, but I feel we have made their game day experience that much better,” he said.

No matter if the Ducks win or lose, the Oregon drum line will beat its drums until the clock hits zero, giving the fans the full sporting experience.