1926
The Band is Born
Thirty-six pioneers under Arthur C. Forsblad.
The first Fresno Normal School band forms with thirty-six charter members — the kickoff note of a century-long tradition.
1934
A Fight Song is Born
"Fight, Varsity" rings out for the first time.
The school becomes Fresno State College and adopts the fight song generations of Bulldogs will rise to their feet for.
20'40
Crossing the twenty
The march continues through the forties
20'40
1955
A new home
Fresno State moves to its Shaw Avenue campus.
A new stadium, new practice fields, a new home for the program — and a new chapter for the bulldogs who march on it.
30'60
Thirty yards in
Sixties drum corps. Polyester uniforms.
30'60
1972
CSU, Fresno
The college becomes a university.
California State University, Fresno is born. The band's stationery changes; the sound, undiminished, marches on.
1980
The BMB Era Begins
Frank Bibb takes charge.
For the first time the program calls itself the Bulldog Marching Band. The name will outlast every uniform that follows it.
1982
Two Hundred Strong
DRILL · 20 × 10 · 200 MARCHERS
Two hundred members. The band's high-water mark.
A twenty-by-ten block of marchers stretches end zone to end zone in pre-game. No Bulldog season before or since has fielded more.
501992
Midfield
The band approaches the fifty — and the music stops.
501992
TIMEOUT
𝄺
1992 · THE SILENT YEAR No band. No halftime show. For one season, the field was silent.
1993
The Comeback
Dr. Gary P. Gilroy restarts the Bulldog Marching Band.
From the ground up. New director, new charts, new freshmen who will become the program's next thirty years of leadership.
1994
Hollywood
The reborn band marches down Hollywood Boulevard.
One year after the silence, the BMB takes the country's most-watched parade. The comeback is no longer local.
1999
An Anonymous Gift
A million dollars, no name attached.
An anonymous donor endows the program in perpetuity. The band's future is no longer year-to-year.
30'00
Past midfield
The Bulldogs enter the new century
30'00
2010
A Brother Remembered
FORMATION · "100" · ONE SLOT LEFT OPEN
A spot left open. A trophy in his name.
After the loss of freshman tuba Nathan Ray, his spot is left open in every drill for the season. The Rookie of the Year award is created in his name.
2013
Mountain West Champions
The band plays the inaugural Mountain West Championship.
A new conference, a new title. The Bulldogs claim the first MWC Championship and the band scores every minute of it.
2017
Ensemble of Excellence
TOUCHDOWN
Named one of the country's top eight college marching bands.
The College Band Directors National Association lifts the BMB to the national stage. Ninety-one years of work, recognized.
★
8
TOP · IN · THE · NATION
CBDNA · 2017
10'20
Red zone
The final stretch toward the centennial
10'20
2020
A Year Without a March
The pandemic empties Bulldog Stadium.
For the second time in the band's history, the field falls quiet. The drums wait one season more.
2023
Pasadena to Dublin
Two parades, two continents, one band.
The Bulldogs march down Colorado Boulevard in January, then across Dublin in March. From the foothills to the Liffey, the sound carries.
2026
One Hundred Years Strong
A century of Bulldogs. One last march together.
Alumni from every era come home. One stadium, one hundred years of memory, one chord held by every musician who ever wore the plume.
FORMATION · "BMB 100" · CENTENNIAL FINALE