Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps

The Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps are a World Class (formerly "Division I") drum and bugle corps based in Boston, Massachusetts and founded in 1940, and are a charter member corps of Drum Corps International. The Boston Crusaders are one of the oldest corps still in existence, and have been renamed twice, first called the Most Precious Blood Crusaders and then the Hyde Park Crusaders. During a financially bleak period in the corps' history, the corps competed only under the name Boston, returning to competition with their proper name after a return from near bankruptcy. The corps was also a very early adopter of electronic equipment, using a synthesizer during their 1985 show (electronic amplification was not legalized in the DCI circuit until the 2004 season, and electronic instruments will not be legal until the 2009 season; the Crusaders willingly took a huge penalty -- 2 points -- for the illegal equipment used in Axel F).

The Boston Crusaders are nine time DCI finalists, and were one of the last major corps to break into finals when they did so in 1999. Their highest finish was in 2000 and 2002, when they placed 5th. The corps' 2000 show, "RED", was selected by popular vote to appear on the 2005 Classic Countdown, a movie theater showing of the twelve voted best shows of DCI history, with one show for each corps.

The corps director for the 2007 season was Howard Weinstein. At the end of the 2007 season, his 9th year with the corps, Howard Weinstein resigned and the role as Executive Director was given to Tom Spataro, the Operations Director and past Alumnus of The Boston Crusaders.

Trivia

*The Boston Crusaders are frequently referred to as "BAC", meaning either "Boston Area Crusaders" or "Bad Ass Crusaders" or "Bring A Crowbar" or "Best American Corps." [http://www.corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?view=corpshist&corps=37&corpstype=Junior]
*The corps colors are Red, White, and Black.
*The corps song is Giant.
*The corps anthem is Conquest.
*The corps symbol is Waldo, King Arthur's Lion. Waldo represents the intensity, aggression, and masculinity of the corps.

External links

* [http://www.crusaders.com/crusaders/home.asp Boston Crusaders homepage]
* [http://www.corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?view=corpsdet&corps=37&corpstype=Junior Boston Crusaders repertoires at Corpsreps]