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...ever a corps to come from the basement of drum corps to rise to the top?

I don't mean mergers or Star of Indiana. I mean a corps that was in the basement. I can only think of Bluecoats. Kilties went to the basement in their junior days and never made it back (junior-wise).

Any other corps?

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Phantom Regiment had a brutal 1970 season. That was their first season back from years of inactivity, and the corps members were very young.

On July 5 that year, they finished dead last at a contest in Dixon, IL, with a score of 42.50.

That is certainly "basement" level. They didn't compete at nationals that year, so they didn't finish at the true bottom of the heap, but it's safe to say Phantom made huge strides after that low point.

Carolina Crown finished last at the 1990 DCI open class prelims (22nd place out of 22). That was the very first round of prelims, so Crown truly was dead last in the division, 32nd place out of 32 open class corps in total.

Edited by Northern Thunder
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Well since you didn't say Jr corps (and the poster who would squawk about this no longer posts :rolleyes: )....

Westshoremen came in last at 1974 DCA Prelims (15 of 15) and won DCA a *cough* short 22 years later.....

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Phantom Regiment had a brutal 1970 season. That was their first season back from years of inactivity, and the corps members were very young.

On July 5 that year, they finished dead last at a contest in Dixon, IL, with a score of 42.50.

That is certainly "basement" level. They didn't compete at nationals that year, so they didn't finish at the true bottom of the heap, but it's safe to say Phantom made huge strides after that low point.

I have a score on file for Phantom Regiment in 1969, competing in a show in Rockford. They pulled a 25.35, which put them 25 to 45 points behind the rest of the field that day.

Carolina Crown finished last at the 1990 DCI open class prelims (22nd place out of 22). That was the very first round of prelims, so Crown truly was dead last in the division, 32nd place out of 32 open class corps in total.

Another last place finisher that went on to better things was the Glassmen. They were the only corps cut in the 1985 open-class prelims. Both they and the Blue Knights had humble beginnings, but ascended to peaks of 5th/6th.

Cascades finished last in the 1977 DCI open-class prelims, but went on to make the finals 25 years later.

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BAC didn't make DCI Finals until '99, just a couple years after the corps almost folded. Not to mention losing the name "Boston Crusaders" in the '80s. Now the corps finishes annually between fifth and ninth place.

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BAC didn't make DCI Finals until '99, just a couple years after the corps almost folded. Not to mention losing the name "Boston Crusaders" in the '80s. Now the corps finishes annually between fifth and ninth place.

That whole name thing during that period was bizarre. Referring to them then as the "Boston Drum and Bugle Corps."

Edited by Fran Haring
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  • 3 months later...

...ever a corps to come from the basement of drum corps to rise to the top?

I don't mean mergers or Star of Indiana. I mean a corps that was in the basement. I can only think of Bluecoats. Kilties went to the basement in their junior days and never made it back (junior-wise).

Any other corps?

Hasn't every DCI champion started at the bottom (except for Star)? BD, SVC, Cadets, Cavies, PR, Madison, Kingsmen all started, in the beginning, at the bottom. Just because they did not score last at championships, doesn't mean they were not "at the bottom". In fact, just competing in championships would mean they were probably not "at the bottom". Besides Star, how many corps competed in the championships (DCI, AL or VFW) in their very first year?

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Not sure if this exactly fits the question, but after finishing 7th in 1975, the Kilties dropped into the basement in '76, finishing 20-something at prelims. In '77 they rebounded to finish 10th. Had to be one of the more significant comebacks in DCI history.

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In 1985, the Glassmen finished dead last in Open (now called World) Class. It was either that year or the next that I was so shocked during a show---I have perfect pitch and could not figure out in what key they were playing. Granted, it took a while, but watching them make Finals in 1993 (and top 5 in 1998) was pretty amazing.

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