The MSU football team will be marching its way to California for a bowl, but the Spartan Marching Band may not be following.
Band members met Monday night to discuss whether they will be sent to the Silicon Valley Football Classic in San Jose, Calif., when the Spartans take on the Fresno State Bulldogs on Dec. 31.
Lack of funding from the bowl committee may prevent the entire 300-member band from performing at this year’s bowl game.
The cost of traveling to a far away bowl presented problems to MSU in the past. In the 1997 Jeep Aloha Bowl MSU spent $1.06 million and was paid only $750,000 for its appearance.
Airfare and 8,000 unsold tickets contributed to the cost.
Fred Poston, vice president for finance and operations, said no decision was made, but the issue will be resolved in a few days.
John Madden, director of the Spartan Marching Band, refused to comment until a decision is made.
Dustin Brown, a trumpet player for the band, said Madden told them he had been in meetings with Provost Lou Anna Simon and the athletics officials all day.
The criminal justice senior said Madden discussed how much money the bowl committee would be giving to the team, people traveling with the team and the band.
The possibility of bringing 100 members is an option, Brown said, but one the band frowns upon.
“We take the whole band or no band at all,” he said.
In 1989, the band stayed home instead of sending a smaller, separated pep band to the Aloha Bowl. But in 1997’s Aloha Bowl, a small pep band consisting mostly of veteran members went.
But Brown said without the entire band it would be difficult to play a good routine and make the customary block “S.”
Although Brown made his final MSU Spartan Stadium performance on Saturday, he said he hopes it won’t be his last.
“I’d like to be able to go out on top,” he said.
Mike Nelson, a tuba player, said he’s happy to see the football team gain a bowl bid and would love to go West and play in his first bowl game.
“I’m just happy to the see the team going, and I’d really like to be there with them,” the kinesiology sophomore said.
The last time the team and the band traveled to a bowl game was Jan. 1, 2000 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Mike Emerson, marching band president, said he can’t speculate, but he hopes to be making another trip.
“There’s not a whole lot we know right know,” the instrumental music education senior said. “But we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Emerson, who marched in the Citrus Bowl in 2000, said if the band cannot make the trip, it will be missing out on a great opportunity.
“It’s just unbelievable - you get to see all the support you can get across the nation,” he said. “It was a great time and we got to show what Big Ten bands are all about.”
