Purdue Marching Band to be Without 'World's Largest Drum' Saturday Against Notre Dame
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For the first time since 1979, Purdue's All-American Marching Band will perform without the World's Largest Drum when the team travels to Notre Dame on Saturday.
The Big Bass Drum, which stands approximately 10 feet tall on its carriage, is too big to fit through Notre Dame Stadium's visiting team tunnel. The Fighting Irish are also refusing to let the marching band use the main tunnel.
"According to a communication from the University of Notre Dame, our Band will not be permitted to take the World's Largest Drum through their tunnel and onto the football field for this Saturday's game," said Aaron Yoder, a spokesman for the university's bands and orchestras, to ESPN.com.
"Notre Dame Athletics has restricted use of their main tunnel to their own football team and band, which is the only entrance large enough for the Drum. We have been told that visiting teams and bands have to use a separate tunnel that is much smaller. Our Drum is about 10 feet tall on its carriage and 565 pounds so it doesn't even come close to fitting in this other tunnel."
In the past, the drum made the trip to South Bend, Indiana, where Purdue will play No. 12 Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. However, renovations at Notre Dame Stadium in 2017 added a visitor tunnel that now restricts its access to the field.
The World's Largest Drum, which was built in 1921, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The last time the All-American Marching Band performed without the drum was in 1979 after it went missing the night before Purdue played Northwestern.
Related Stories
- DYLAN DOWNING READY TO HELP CARRY THE LOAD: Running backs Dylan Downing and King Doerue combined for 176 rushing yards and a touchdown against UConn last week. The duo will look to continue carrying the load in place of an injured Zander Horvath when the team plays Notre Dame on Saturday. CLICK HERE
- BRIAN KELLY HAS HIGH PRAISE FOR DAVID BELL, PURDUE OFFENSE: Purdue's star wide receiver David Bell has 14 catches for 255 yards and three touchdowns after the first two weeks of college football. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is aware of his talents ahead of Saturday's game. CLICK HERE
- GAME TIME, TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR PURDUE VS. ILLINOIS: Purdue and Illinois will play for the 97th time on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Last season, the Boilermakers earned a 31-24 victory on the road in Champaign, Illinois. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE FOOTBALL 2021 SCHEDULE: Purdue's 2021 college football schedule includes nine Big Ten games and three nonconference matchups. The team will travel to South Bend, Indiana, next week to play Notre Dame for the first time since 2014. CLICK HERE
- DREW BREES ON THE CALL FOR PURDUE-NOTRE DAME: Former Boilermaker legend Drew Brees will be a game analyst for NBC Sports when Purdue football takes on Notre Dame on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana. He is the program's all-time leader is completions, passing yards and touchdown passes. CLICK HERE
- HORVATH TO HAVE SURGERY: Fifth-year senior running back Zander Horvath will undergo surgery Tuesday and will miss anywhere from four to eight weeks. Junior King Doerue and redshirt freshman Dylan Downing will be the team's top two options in the backfield. CLICK HERE
Become Part of the Boilermakers Country Community!
- Follow D.J. Fezler on Twitter: @DJFezler
- Follow Boilermakers Country on Twitter: @sports_purdue
- Like and follow Boilermakers Country on Facebook
D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.