The Harlingen High School Big Red Cardinal Band marked its 100th anniversary at the 2024 Battle of the Arroyo game, with alumni from across the decades joining current band members to celebrate a century of music, tradition, and pride.
The idea for the celebration began with a simple message that reminded the current Head Band Director, Maria Coronado, that this year was the 100th year of the band.
“The first official picture of the Cardinal Band was in 1925 or 1926,” Coronado said. “But we were saying, no, we need to do something from the first time they met and said, ‘let’s put a band together.’”
Determined to make the event historic, the director invited former longtime band directors Allan Brumley, James Keltner, Ronnie Rios, and Albert Robledo to join and other notable alumni such as former longtime Board Member Gerry Fleuriet.
A single Facebook post announcing the celebration is all it took to rally the rest of the alumni community.
“There was a few years ago that I thought about having an alumni night, but it never came to fruition,” Coronado said. “Seeing how happy everybody was on that night I am actually happy that it didn’t happen before because you know how they say everything happens for a reason? Well, it made it that much more special that we did it on the 100th anniversary of the existence of the Cardinal Band.”
The night before the game, past and present band members gathered for a rehearsal where they got to meet and share stories.
On the day of the performance, alumni and current band students took the field together at halftime, filling Boggus Stadium with pride and nostalgia as they played.
The current director counted off the music while former directors conducted, creating a bond across generations.
“Towards the end of the game, I asked for the banner to be brought over,” Coronado said. We have had that banner forever. We have been asked to replace it because it has a lot of wear and tear. But it’s been in the Rose Bowl two times. It’s been to New York many times. It’s been to the Alamo Dome for the State Marching Contest 14 times. We took it to Chicago when the jazz band performed over there. We used it when we went to Disney last year. It’s got a lot of history, so why would we replace that?”
The whole experience resonated with students, many of whom expressed a newfound understanding of the band’s legacy.
“A lot of current band students told me, ‘I get it now. I understand what you tell us about legacy,’” Coronado said.
As the celebration ended, alumni and directors expressed hopes to make this event a tradition—a sentiment the director wholeheartedly supports. “It’s something we need to continue,” she said.
For one night, alumni and students united, honoring the Big Red Cardinal Band’s enduring legacy.
“It was a pretty magical night,” Coronado said.
