DCI Finals - August 16, 1975

Today in 1975, the Madison Scouts won their first Drum Corps International World Championship at Franklin Field in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

Here are the results:

1.  Madison Scouts 92.500

2.  Santa Clara Vanguard 91.000

3.  Blue Devils 88.600

4.  27th Lancers 88.050

5.  Blue Stars 87.500

6.  Oakland Crusaders 86.000

7.  Kilties 85.300

8.  Cavaliers 82.950

9.  Royal Crusaders 82.400

10. Phantom Regiment 81.300

11. Garfield Cadets 80.550

12. Troopers 76.200

The Royal Crusaders, from Finleyville, Pennsylvania, made their only appearance in DCI Finals and it was the Blue Devils’ first year in the Top 4.  They have placed in the Top 4 every year since. 

The Madison Scouts were the first non-West Coast corps to win the DCI Championship.  The Anaheim Kingsmen from Anaheim, California (1972) and the Santa Clara Vanguard, from Santa Clara, California (1973-74), were the past winners.  The next time a non-West Coast corps won DCI Finals was in 1983, when the Garfield Cadets won the first of a then record three championships in a row.  The next and last time the Madison won the DCI Championship was in 1988.

The Squires, from Watkins-Glen, New York and the Precisionnaires, from Osage, Iowa were 13^th (79.00) and 14^th (78.65) place respectively.  The Troopers scored a 79.60 in DCI Prelims, securing them 12^th place and the last spot in DCI Finals.  The Squires and Precisionnaires would never place that high again.

There was some controversy in the 1975 season.  The Muchachos, from Hawthorne, New Jersey, were disqualified from competition for the DCI Championship for having overage members, but were allowed to perform.  They never recovered from being disqualified and never made DCI Finals again.

The maximum age a person can march in a junior drum and bugle corps is 21.  Once he or she turns 22, that person has aged out and can no longer march in a junior corps.  But that doesn’t mean he or she can no longer march.  There are senior corps where there is no age limit.  Today they are called All Age corps and mainly compete in the Northeast. The All Age activity has expanded to the South, Midwest, and West Coast.  They will be featured in future blog entries.

To see the results of this and more from the 1975 season, go to www.corpsreps.com  If you want to learn more about the activity, go to www.dci.org and www.dcacorps.org