The College of Creative Arts today announced that Bill Nevin has been named the newvoiceof the WVU Marching Band.
Nevin will begin his announcing duties this weekend (Sept. 10) for the WVU home opener against Wofford College, and will begin traveling with the Band next week when the group takes part in Constitution Day activities in Washington, D.C., Sept. 16.
Nevin, who is manager of external communications for WVU News and Information Services, succeeds FrankDocStevens, who served as the announcer forThe Pride of West Virginiafor more than 44 years before his death last year.
“We are pleased that Bill has agreed to become the new voice of the WVU Marching Band,said Jay Drury, the director of the Band.After Frank passed away last year, we started thinking about who could possibly replace him. Although this is a part-time position, Bill will be doing all of our announcing at home football games and also traveling with us.
Travis Jones, the announcer at WVU s Milan Puskar Stadium, did much of the announcing last year, with Drury doing the job when the Band traveled.
Nevin has been at WVU since the fall of 2001. As manager of external communications, his duties include pitching WVU stories to news outlets and connecting reporters with WVU sources. He also does voice-over work for many WVU advertisements and marketing projects, and is the public address announcer for the WVU mens basketball games at the Coliseum.
I am truly honored to be part of the best collegiate marching band in the country,Nevin said.And to follow the legendary Doc Stevens is no easy task, but Im really excited and looking forward to it.
Nevin is a native of Ottawa, Ill., and graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1987 with a bachelors degree in radio-television. He is scheduled to graduate from WVU with a masters degree in integrated marketing in May 2006.
Before joining the University, Nevin worked for West Virginia Radio Corporation for 11 years in various news positions. He and his wife, Cindy, are the parents of two children.
The esprit de corps of the award-winning WVU Marching Band, also known asThe Pride of West Virginia,and the enthusiastic response of the audiences to the sight and sound of the Band have made it one of the most respected organizations on the WVU campus. This years WVU Band is one of the largest in the history of the University, with 375 members.
The Pride,housed in the College of Creative Arts, has performed throughout the nation, from nationally televised Bowl games to Presidential inaugurations. During the past 15 years, the WVU Marching Band has performed before more than one million people and has traveled to several major U.S. cities, including Tucson, Ariz.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; New York City, N.Y.; Tempe, Ariz.; New Orleans, La.; Houston, Tex.; Birmingham, Ala.; Washington, D.C.; El Paso, Tex.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Columbus, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Mountaineer Marching Band is known for its high-energy performances, outstanding musical arrangements, and innovative drill moves. Because of its tradition of excellence, the WVU Band was recognized in 1997 as the countrys outstanding collegiate marching band by being named the recipient of the 1997 Sudler Trophy, awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
On Friday, Sept. 16, the Band will perform at 11 a.m. at the Upper Senate Park, across Constitution Avenue from the U.S. Capitol. The performance is part of the countrys first full-out observance of the day that celebrates the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The 45-minute concert will feature traditional pre-game and halftime music, as well as a selection of patriotic tunes.
The WVU Marching Band will also perform at College Park, Md., at noon Saturday, Sept. 17, for the WVU -Maryland football game, as well as Saturday night in Martinsburg, W.Va., between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. for the Martinsburg High School Band Spectacular.