Band from Favre’s alma mater to play at Packers game

Published 10:53 pm Saturday, October 7, 2006

The marching band from Brett Favre’s alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, is scheduled to entertain fans Sunday before and during the Green Bay Packers-St. Louis Rams game at Lambeau Field.

Members of the Pride of Mississippi band — along with the color guard, feature twirlers and the Dixie Darlings dance team — made a daylong trip to Wisconsin on Saturday.

Sousaphone section leader Michael Schultz said his grandfather, a lifelong Packers fan and proud owner of an iconic “cheese head,” is suffering from a bout of good-natured jealousy.

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“I hope I can pluck some grass from Lambeau Field for him,” said Schultz, 21, a senior.

The band will start Sunday with a concert at 10 a.m. at Brett Favre’s Steakhouse, two blocks from Lambeau Field. Band co-director Reginald Houze said that concert will include Southern Miss favorites and the Packers’ cheer.

Next, the Pride will parade to the stadium and entertain fans in the parking lot before the noon game. The halftime concert will feature music often heard before home games in Hattiesburg.

Houze said the band’s history includes performances at one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugurations and St. Patrick’s Day parades in Ireland and Scotland.