Norfolk State University’s Spartan Legion band was voted 2019 HBCU Sports Band of the Year.
The band, named one of seven finalists for the award on Jan. 13, was the top vote-getter in an online poll the website conducted from Tuesday, Jan. 14 through Tuesday night (Jan. 21).
Of the 37,032 total votes tallied, the Spartan Legion generated nearly 39 percent of the votes (14,430 votes). North Carolina A&T finished second in the voting with 6,529 votes. Southern University finished third in the voting with 6,363 votes, followed by Grambling State (4,767 votes), Jackson State (2,210 votes), Florida A&M (1,821) and Bethune-Cookman (912 votes).
Under the direction of William Beathea, the band consistently ranked among the top 4 HBCU marching bands in the country in HBCU Sports’ preseason and midseason band polls.
Notable moments of the Norfolk State University Spartan Legion from 2019
Ranked No. 2 on 2019 HBCU midseason top 15 band poll
Ranked No. 1 on the list of top 5 halftime shows from Week 2
Ranked No. 2 on the list of top 5 halftime shows from Week 5
Ranked No. 5 on the list of top 5 halftime shows from Week 6
Ranked No. 2 on the list of top 5 halftime shows from Week 10
Ranked No. 8 and No. 22 on the list of top cover songs 2019 by HBCU bands
Ranked No. 6 and No. 8 on the list of top 10 HBCU band halftime shows of 2019
