Where Did the Graycoats First Fire on the Blue Coats Destination

OUR HISTORY

The Bluecoats were officially founded on December 3rd, 1972, but its roots had existed for years if not decades beforehand.  One of the corps' Founding Fathers, Art Drukenbrod, had been in Canton area drum corps affiliated with VFW posts. These Canton and Massillon corps were nationally renowned programs. In the late 1960s, Canton Policeman Ralph McCaulley was approached by an area band director with the idea of adding a musical group to the Canton Police Boys Club slate of activities.  Ralph gained the approval of the Boys Club director, fellow officer J. Babe Stearn and the Canton Police Boys Club Drum & Bugle Corps was formed. It took the Boys Club ensemble passing Drukenbrod's downtown Canton tailor shop for the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Parade to rekindle his desire for the activity and partnership between the three was born.

The name "Bluecoats" was born in tribute to the police department's retired police officers with a nod to its designation as a program of the Police Boys Club.  The organization began in the summer of 1973 as a parade corps, then made its competitive drum corps debut in 1974 with a group of young musicians hailing from Canton and surrounding Stark County.  After heading to DCI Finals week for the first time ever in 1977 and again in 1978, finances led to the corps going in active in 1979 and then again in 1983.

New management turned the corps into a more professionally touring organization and in 1987 made DCI Finals for the first time.  The corps would become a fan favorite, annually landing in the lower half of DCI's Top 12 Finalists through 1998. After barely missing in 1999, the corps has been in every Finals since.  In the early 2000s the corps changed models again and installed a full-time Executive Director and a few years later added a continual revenue stream in a Bingo operation. The corps rapidly rose into the elite "Top 6" of DCI, where they remain today.

After purchasing their own building in 2011, for Bingo, banquets and the corps operations, the Bluecoats have served as one of the premier youth marching arts education organizations in the world.  The corps annually hosts several educational opportunities for those not marching in the corps, have operated two WGI winterguards at various times over the past decade and manage the Cleveland Browns Drum Line.  The active alumni base also operates a year 'round ensemble as well as provides many interactive campaigns with the members of the corps, serving as a model for others to follow.

On the field, Bluecoats continue to lead in strong programs that carry broad appeal as well as high achievement. In 2010 the corps scored their first "medal" status, finishing 3rd. It would be followed by a silver medal in 2014 and 2019.  Bronze medals were achieved in 2015 and 2018. And in 2016 the corps forever altered the look of the activity by shedding the traditional military-style uniforms in favor of more theatrical costuming. The show, titled DownSide Up took home the corps first-ever DCI World Championship Gold.

HONORS:

• Gold Medal: 2016 DCI World Champions

• Silver Medal: 2014, 2019 DCI World Championships

• Bronze Medal: 2010, 2015, 2018 DCI World Championships

• High General Effect, DCI World Championships: 2016, 2019

• DCI World Championship Finalist: 1987 – 1998, 2000 - current

• US Open Class "A" Champion: 1981

• First DCI Regional Appearance: 1981, DCI North, Ypsilanti, MI

• Great Lakes Drum Corps Association Champion: 1978, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

• American International Open Class "A" Champion: 1978

• Ohio VFW State Champion: 1976 -1978, 1980 - 1982, 1984

• Ohio American Legion State Champions: 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982

Further Bluecoats History:

• The 1970s

• The 1980s

• The 1990s

• The 2000s

• The 2010s

Also see our All-Time Repertoires/Show Themes and All-Time Yearly Contest-by-Contest Scores & Placements.

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Source: https://bluecoats.com/history

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