“To let some kids that are quite immature and irresponsible think they can be flippant about things and say things just because they are in a crowd … to ruin what so many people have spent so many years building, that’s sad to me,” Tracz told the Collegian.
Administration had previously discussed stopping the band mid-performance if fans started the chant, Tracz told the Collegian. He then received a message from the president’s office and K-State Athletics to stop the band if he heard the chant.
After the game, band member Marissa Grace Sullivan posted a letter on Facebook to express her frustrations with K-State students.
Sullivan’s post has received over 150 shares.
According to the K-State marching band’s history, the tradition dates to 1968 when the “Wabash Cannonball” was the only piece of sheet music to survive a building fire.
“Since then the Wabash Cannonball has come to represent the survival of the underdog in the hearts and minds of all true K-State fans, and has earned a secure place in the KSUMB’s history and traditions,” the K-State band website states.