Band History Archive

To read about the band's 2013-2023 history, please visit the History page.

2012-2013 History

The Bronco Pep Band continued to live another year, its tenth year to be exact. They were in for some change and mishaps as the year went on. With time, comes change. Branden took the lead in his first year as director and added more or less 5 new members to the band.

The year sped by fast, through volleyball games and the beginning of basketball season right into the traditional northern California trip where the pep band saw themselves driving up once again. This year Billy Bronco joined in on the trip and helped show our teams just how much support Bronco had to give. Although there was a mishap with some of the pep band cars being broken into, they enjoyed the time they spent up north. Our women left with a double win for the weekend and our men left with one win and as the CCAA Regular Season Champs.

That weekend flew into the CCAA Championship tournament, where the pep band was able to travel locally to support the men in Ontario. There, the Bronco men swept their competition, won CCAA Championships, and advanced to the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament.

Another year passed and the pep band was soon to be at it again.

2011-2012 History

This year marked the end of James’ time as director before handing the band off to Branden Herron for the next year. Orientation recruitment brought in about 8 freshmen. The band started the year off with summer rehearsals that led into performances at Welcome Week and Bronco Fusion.

They continued strong as they showed their support during volleyball season that appeared to quickly change into basketball season. Midseason basketball games at Monterrey Bay and East Bay had the pep band adventuring up north to support both the men and women’s basketball teams. East Bay fans weren’t the most welcoming, but the men were able to take the win, leaving with a double win for the weekend.

A week later, the pep band was witness to Mitchell Anderson’s “Miracle” shot. His half court buzzer beater in double overtime against Cal State Dominguez Hills had the crowds going wild!

At the start of March, the pep band followed the men’s basketball team to San Diego for CCAA Championships where they once again joined their friends from Humbolt State University. Unfortunately, our men did not leave with a win.

The year came to an end, and the pep band had to say goodbye to their graduating seniors, including their director, James. Overall, the year was great for the Bronco Pep Band. On to the next!

2010-2011 History

Nothing much happened this year either.

2009-2010 History

Nothing interesting happened.

2008-2009 History

This year marked a critical transition as Steve announced his stepping down as director and announced James as his successor. Throughout the year, Steve shared his wise ways as Director. Over the summer the Pep Band gods smiled on the Bronco Pep Band as Freshmen fell from the sky, ballooning the roster to about 45. Fall quarter began with Bronco's galloping at full speed, playing Rally's, Volleyball Games, and various Gigs throughout all of campus. As the Basketball season began, the Band ventured to their first away game at UC Irvine. This game will live on forever in Pep Band Lore and no Bronco will ever set foot in the Bren Events Center again. The band also travelled to the Disney Div II West Coast Classic tip off to support the Womens basketball team. With the addition of many Freshmen the Band was a force to be reckoned with, and they traveled once again to crush the UCSD Pep Band. This year the Bronco's earned a double win, as the Bronco Men conquered the Triton basketball team at their own court. The Bronco Flag still stands at RIMAC arena, unshakeable and immovable. Later in the season the Bronco's once again played host to the Humbolt Lumberjack Marching Band. Remembering the friendship that spawned the year before, the two bands joined forces after the game and formed the first Super-Band known to man: The Bronco Riding Lumberjacks from Humbolt or Pomona, a force to be reckoned with.

Towards the end of the season, the Band did all it could to support their Men's basketball team, following them to CSU San Bernardino once again. Alas, the Band could not follow the Mens basketball team from Hawaii, to Washington and finally to Massachusetts where the Bronco Men achieved Cal Polys highest NCAA Div II run to date: National Runner-up position, we still cheered them on and welcomed them home with Trumpets and Fanfare.

2007-2008 History

The 2007 -2008 season started off a bit slowly and new members were a rare find this year. But Athletics once again gave power to the Pep Band as we joined forces with Lorena Marquez, a newly created, and hired Marketing and Promotions Director. With their powers combined, their focus was to infuse the Cal Poly Campus with Bronco Pride. Volleyball games now featured regular appearances by the Band, and the Basketball season was upon them before they knew it. The Band could be seen at almost every home game as well as appearing for the first time onto YouTube, so that the whole world could see the glory of the Bronco Pep Band. As always, the Band traveled to many away games, and the UCSD Pep Band reported an "Unknown" Green Mass forcing them to call for reinforcements at the CPP vs. UCSD basketball game. UCSD attempted to enact revenge when the Broncos hosted the Tritons, but the Broncos stood tall and defended our fearless leader. Cal Poly was also visited for the first time by the mystical Humbolt Lumberjack Marching Band. Though cautious at first, Humbolt and the Bronco's became great friends and Cal Poly looks forward to the day we venture to Lumberjack Arena. Both Mens and Womens Basketball had a memorable season, and the Bronco's travelled with them to CSU San Bernardino to conquer the Timberwolves, and the CCAA conference.

As the school year drew to a close, the Band added much musical ammunition to their arsenal, as well as preserving themselves for all history by recording for the first time.

2006-2007 History

The band started off the year with a bang competing in the First Annual Southern California Battle of the Bands held at UCSD. Within the first week of the season the pep band immediately started playing at volleyball games and played at a total of 5 home volleyball games. From there the band would make its first trip into the hollowed grounds of UCLA’s Pauley Pavillion to watch its men’s team battle the Bruins men’s basketball team. Though the band could barely see the game from the rafters of the gym, its Cal Poly pride was never any stronger. Again the band could be seen at nearly every home men and women’s basketball game and on occasion they were spotted at such places as UCSD, Cal State LA, and were given a warm welcome at Cal State Bakersfield. Sadly, Cal State Bakersfield will no longer be a part of the same athletic conference.

The band also had the First Annual Bronco Pep Band retreat and there were very few casualties that were reported. The band was also seen around campus playing at multiple spirit rallies and also performed at the Claremont High School Relay for life.

Strictly by the numbers, the Bronco Pep Band doubled in size and at maximum capacity the pep band reached as many as 30 members. The pep band gained many new members that were very dedicated and quickly found a home in the band.

2005-2006 History

A rather interesting year for the band, it saw for the first time a transition in the leadership. Dan and Steve split the directing duties this year for the pep band, again performing at all but one of the Cal Poly Pomona basketball home games. They also played for the first time at several volleyball games. The band made its first trip out of state as they traveled to the University of Arizona where they played against the established U of A Pep Band. The Bronco Pep Band stood tall against this Division I band and matched them song for song. The band had proven themselves to all.

The band again traveled to San Diego but this proved to be Dan’s last trip as band director. He stepped down and Steve completed the season as the full time band director. The band would travel out to Cal State Bakersfield where they encountered a rather hostile crowd. The crowd however would be silenced as the men’s basketball team would battle back from a double digit deficit and triumph in overtime. The only sound after the buzzer in that arena was William Tell, the Cal Poly Pomona Fight Song. The following night they attended the Cal State Los Angeles game where they saw another thrilling men’s victory. The Bronco Pep Band also welcomed their friends from San Diego to Kellogg Gymnasium, the first guests since UC Davis in 2004.

The season would prove to be a rather triumphant one for the pep band as the crowds at Cal Poly began to look forward to hearing the band and voiced their support for them in a few articles in the school paper, as well as verbal support at the games.

2004-2005 History

Attending the summer orientations started to pay off as the band continued to grow in size. In 2004 the band attendance in began to become more consistent and the group became more stable. In the third season the band was able to play at every home Cal Poly Pomona basketball game. The band once again traveled to San Diego, though it did not spend the night. The band for the first time played at Cal State San Bernardino for the rival game, making a stand against their rival San Bernardino “Wild Bunch” jazz “band”. The band headed up north to Cal State Monterey Bay and performed at “Pack the Kelp Bed Night” and was warmly welcomed by the Monterey Bay fans. This was a learning experience for the leadership as it was discovered that pep bands and whale watches do not mix well. A large majority of the band became ill on the three hour tour and the trip was never spoken of again.

The direction of the band took another wild turn as Daniel neared the end of his schooling. Knowing that his reign was almost over as director, he looked to pass his knowledge on to a younger member of the band. Dan turned to an electrical engineering major to become the first Assistant Director. The night after the Monterey Bay game while the band was having dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Steven Corral was announced as the assistant director. Shortly after, Dan took on the job as director of bands at A.B. Miller High School and Steven was promoted to Co-Director, having only been Assistant Director for a few months.

2003-2004 History

In the bands second season, 2003, the band tripled in sized. Members of Cal Poly Pomona’s concert and jazz ensembles joined together and raised their horns in support of Cal Poly Pomona Athletics. The band began to be able to stand on its own without the help of high school students, but their help was still greatly appreciated. The band roughly contained fifteen to twenty members on any given night. The band could no longer be run by one single person, so in reaction Christina Owens was elected the first band president and Kaci Foster was elected the band treasurer.

The band took on more of a presence at basketball games and attended about eighteen games over the course of the season. The band traveled to San Diego and had its first night trip. The band was welcomed by the UCSD Pep Band, and a new friendship was created. The following day the Bronco Pep Band painted San Diego green an d gold, going to Sea World and the Hard Rock Café.

2002-2003 History

Dr. David Kopplin from the Cal Poly Pomona music department agreed to become the advisor of this “new” creation of the Athletic Department. The reigns were handed over to Daniel Sandt, a music education major, and he became the first director of the pep band, version 2.0. The band took on the name the Cal Poly Pomona Bronco Pep Band and the group began to take shape.

In October of 2002, for the first time in nearly a decade, the sounds of a pep band were once again heard on the Cal Poly Pomona campus. In the new band’s inaugural season, six Cal Poly students, along with several high school mercenaries, performed at ten of the men’s and women’s basketball games. The band took its first away trip to Cal State Los Angeles where they witnessed an incredible comeback in Cal Poly history in which the men’s team came back from a twenty-five point deficit to claim victory in three overtimes. The inaugural season was a complete success. The band now had to prepare to become a dominant force in NCAA Division II basketball.