KeithHall Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Won the NT Open Open Class in 1976 and had a pretty good corps back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 (edited) Those classic red and black French Foreign Legion uniforms......... That 1976 season was probably the high point for the Marquis. They pulled off what is still regarded as one fo the biggest upsets in DCI history that year, when they actually beat Phantom Regiment (June 27, 1976--Watertown, WI). Phantom went on to place 4th at DCI. Marquis also beat DCI finalists Blue Stars (numerous times) and Guardsmen during the season. They had huge weaknesses in GE marching (25th place) and musical content/analysis (22nd place) and took 16th at DCI. The 1975 Marquis was the best class 'A' corps in the country, and probably would have won the DCI Championship had they not opted to compete (the same weekend) for the American Legion Nationals (which they won). Edited July 15, 2009 by Northern Thunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 The 1975 Marquis was the best class 'A' corps in the country, and probably would have won the DCI Championship had they not opted to compete (the same weekend) for the American Legion Nationals (which they won). Maybe not. After demolishing the class A field at other contests, Marquis went open-class at the 1975 U.S. Open....and made the finals. Had they gone to DCI, what class would they have competed in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 (edited) Maybe not. After demolishing the class A field at other contests, Marquis went open-class at the 1975 U.S. Open....and made the finals. Had they gone to DCI, what class would they have competed in? Hi Ken! Actually the Marquis competing in open class at U.S. Open was a money thing, since Marion was notoriously generous with their open class prize offerings in those days. They offered additional money prizes in various categories that were much more attractive than anything in the class 'A' division. There was also a huge imbalance between divisions at the U.S. Open that year....WAY too many class 'A' corps compared with open entrants. An early season mailing I received from the U.S. Open actually had the Marquis listed with the class 'A' corps, so it may have been a late decision to go open class there. I talked with two members of the Marquis staff in Minneapolis at Legion Nationals, and they said they would have gone class 'A', just as they had done at 1975 Key to the Sea and American International Open. But their local Legion financial support sealed the deal on their decision to go to Legion rather than DCI. Edited July 15, 2009 by Northern Thunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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