History of Judson Rocket Football History of Judson Rocket Football
"NUCLEAR" IS STILL "NUCLEAR"
"Judson's [collective spirit] was the sound of nuclear warfare. Poor Churchill only could manage conventional weaponry"If you have never had a chance to see (or see again) the tape of KMOL's live coverage of the 1982 rematch with Churchill at Alamo Stadium, you may want to "visit" the sound of "nuclear warfare," and view the tape. You've got the Rocket Band always ready with "2001 A Space Odyssey" for each and every kick-off. The full Band would also provide an up-tempo, energizing three stanzas of a marching band version of the Cavalry "Charge" bugle call, each stanza of which would be answered back, appropriately, by the cheerleaders and fans. You've got Mr. Paschall (click HERE for more info) and his "From Mission Control: HHowwww Do you Feeeellll???!!!" And the fans answering back (as they still do now occasionally), "We Feel good. OHHH! We feel so good UHH!!" "D!" "D!" "DEFENSE!!!" and of course, "Hey!" "Hey!". You also have the Rocket Band percussion section punctuating the words of the Cheerleaders and the HEY! HEY! of Mr. Paschall, as well as providing some cadences that the Cheerleaders join in on.
As you continue through the tape of the game, you will note that, deep into the fourth quarter and with Churchill moving into Judson territory for what looks to be a knockout blow, Judson recovers a fumble to the tune of "Rocky," which the Band started playing only 1 or 2 plays earlier when it looked like things were starting to head "south." Of course, you know what happens two plays after the fumble recovery.
Fast forward to 2003. Final game of the season, with the TR Rough Riders. TR has just scored to break a 14-14 tie to start the 2nd Half. On Judson's first time on offense to start the 2nd Half, the Rockets fumble, the Riders recover, at the Judson 30 yard line, and they immediately go to work for a potential knock-out blow that would put the Rockets in a 14-point hole. At that point, Rocket Band Drum Major Linda Santiago, deciding she and her fellow Band members have seen enough, takes matters into her own hands by launching the Band into the millennial version of "Rocky." Halfway through the song, Judson recovers a TR fumble, and only a few plays later scores, in a potential 14-point swing during what arguably are key moments in the 24-21 Rocket win. The MIGHTY ROCKET BAND, as well as the Cheerleaders, perhaps deserve the game ball as they, on three (3) different occasions, valiantly, and on short notice, re-educate the Rocket faithful on the efficacy of the HEY! HEY! And, the MIGHTY ROCKET BAND, with "Rocky," single-handedly saves the day.
** "The use of "Rocky"----along with "Hey!" "Hey!"-----likewise has its roots in the 1977 season, given that the song (inspired, of course, by the original "Rocky" movie), was popular just a few months before a real-life "Rocky" story began to take shape in Rocket-land on September 2 (what added to the song's effectivness was the head cheerleader, on the speaker system saying, every other beat and in tempo with the Band: GO!!..ROCKETS!!.. Beat---the Panthers!!! (for example).....GO!!.. ROCKETS!!... Beat--the...the Panthers...and so on. As opposed to now (seemingly, at least), the turn-around time between a song’s being popular and the time that music would be available for use by a school (or any other) band was very short. This was evidenced by the selections the Rocket Band would play for the Galaxy Dance Team for their halftime shows. In comparison, so much of the popular music that the Rocket Band and other bands as well play now---both in the stands and at halftime----is older (ie, stuff from the 1960’s or very early ‘70’s at most) than most of such music the Band would play in 1977 and until about 1992 or so. I can’t quite figure that. Granted, with the advent of hip-hop, which may be somewhat difficult for a band to duplicate, even this shouldn't be a deterrent, given that I've heard at least adapted re-mix portions (frequently an older tune, anyway, that is still more recent than the songs most bands use now) done by a few bands occasionally. Even the Rocket Band percussion unit, until about 1998 or so, tapped out the beat to Tone-Loc's "Wild Thing" (or so it seemed---at least I thought that was what they were doing).
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