Category: Band Alumni Association

Fellow Alums,

The UNL BAA board made the decision that we should cancel our reunion plans for the fall of 2020. With so much of this college football and marching band season up in the air, we believe that the best course of action is to postpone until 2021. This decision is being made for the safety of our fellow alums as well as the recognition that plans for social distancing may make it hard for both Westbrook and Memorial stadium to accommodate our group at the present time. If perchance the football season is moved to Spring of 2021, we will explore our opportunity to reschedule to a game in that time frame. Otherwise, we hope to be with you again in the Fall of 2021.  

Please remember that the BAA is a membership organization, and we will still be running a membership campaign in late summer or early fall.  Dues and donations collected during that campaign will be used for our expanded scholarship program for current Cornhusker Marching Band members. If the Cornhusker Marching Band is able to participate in the football season, they may have additional needs for our support which your donations will also help us fund.

Please stay safe, and we will look forward to gathering together in 2021. 

Go Big Red!

Steve Pearson
President, Band Alumni Association, Inc.

The 2019 Russ Swanson Outstanding Bandsman Award was presented this year to Dan Iverson! Dan was awarded a plaque at the band’s end of season banquet on January 31, 2020. Dan received $100, a personal award, and his name will be on a plaque which is on display at Westbrook Music Building. 

Dan is a trombone player from Rapid City, South Dakota. He is a senior music education major at UNL and is currently student teaching.

This award was renamed in 2012 in Russ Swanson’s honor. Russ was a french horn player in the marching band and was a part of the 1941 Rose Bowl Band. He was also a WWII veteran serving on an air bomber crew. He was a charter member of the Band Alumni Association in 1974 and was on the board until a little over a year before he died in 2011. He and his wife were dedicated volunteers for activities of the BAA board.

Our Reunion Weekend for 2020 will be September 4-5. The game is a Big Ten game against Purdue. Registration will open the first week in July.

We’ve been working on updated design for the “Band Song” shirt and will be available later.

Based on feedback from you, we are considering revamping how the weekend works. One change is that we will not offer a block of tickets for non-marching alumni or guests. Please check out the many options to procure your tickets without amount limitations on our Football Tickets page under the Reunion Weekend menu.

We are excited to announce that we are supporting the Epsilon Omega Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi during Glow Big Red — 24 Hours of Husker Giving by taking on the role of a fundraising champion. Our fundraising will help KKPsi conduct service projects, provide volunteers, and organize events to benefit the Nebraska Bands at UNL!

Glow Big Red and its 24 Hours of Husker Giving will take place from noon to noon on Feb. 13 and 14. All Huskers, near and far, can participate by lighting your home Husker red, flying your Husker flag, wearing Husker gear and supporting students with a gift to KKPsi. When you contribute $60 or more, you’ll receive an exclusive Glow Big Red stocking hat!

Glow Big Red — 24 Hours of Husker Giving is a 24-hour giving challenge to celebrate the generosity of our great state, so join the movement by contributing to our fundraiser on February 13 – 14! Check out our fundraising page here: https://glowbigred.unl.edu/p2p/125459/unl-band

Thank you for supporting the UNL Band Alumni and KKPsi!