The following program is a co-production of the University of Wisconsin- Madison and PBS Wisconsin.

Mike

Nobody takes me as a serious musician 'cause I'm always putting on funny clothes, but it's show business.

drumroll

Mike

audience cheers exuberantly

Narrator

The costumes, the fireworks, the really big shows... One more time!

roaring cheers

Narrator

A legacy of music and showmanship that is unmatched.

blows whistle, yells

Narrator

Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig!!! 50 years leading the charge and marching to the beat-- How bad do you want it? Musician, performer, and the man with the baton.

crowd roars

Narrator

He's got people right here in the palm of his hand.

thunderous cheering

Narrator

He can entertain anywhere, anybody, under any circumstance.

hockey buzzer

Narrator

Unforgettable moments on the biggest stages. He's an icon. He's an entertainer.

There's no doubt about it. - Mike

Is that right? He's a daredevil.

chuckles

Mike

It was fun! It was still fun.

cymbals clang

Mike

He's a showman.

Mike Leckrone

Wisconsin's Showman!

exuberant cheering

Mike Leckrone

"You've Said It All"

Mike Leckrone

Funding for Mike Leckrone

Wisconsin's Showman is brought to you by Robert J. Lenz, Greg and Carol Griffin, Stanley J. Cottrill Fund, with additional support from Rawson S. & Mary L. Price, Alumni of the University of Wisconsin Band, Focus Funds for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.

drumming

Mike

When the band comes on the field and plays "On, Wisconsin!" I feel the hair crawl up on the back of my neck.

"On, Wisconsin!"

Mike

One of a kind, a legend,

blows whistle

Mike

Wisconsin's Showman. There are many descriptions of Mike Leckrone and thousands of students who have taken his lessons beyond the walls of the University of Wisconsin- Madison.

"On, Wisconsin!"

Mike

Mike began his tenure in 1969, and 50 years later, retired as the longest-serving marching band director in the history of the Big Ten. One of the reasons I stayed with what I'm doing

for all these years

It was fun! It was-- It was still fun.

students chant a cheer

for all these years

You want it, Bucky?

blows whistle

for all these years

Fifty years of Camp Randall halftime shows, countless basketball and hockey pep bands... and the big event of every spring-- the UW Varsity Band Concert.

pyrotechnic explodes

electric drill noises

testing microphone

for all these years

1- 2-3, 1- 2-3, 1-2-3.

Mike

This is my usual route. Looks good, yeah. They're way ahead of schedule. If you hadn't been to the Spring Concert, I think the way to describe it would be...

crowd cheering wildly

Mike

Hello! Welcome!

Teeple

...A marching band concert.

Sarah Marty

Then, bring in a whole bunch of rock 'n' roll lighting, like you'd see in a rock concert, fireworks-- inside the building-- streamer cannons, confetti bombs, and fabulous guest talent, all together with a ton of school spirit. You ready?

Mike

Yep. Okay. Welcome, everybody, to our Tuesday production meeting for the 45th-Annual UW Varsity Band Spring Concert. Give yourselves a round of applause.

light applause

Mike

There we go, we made it. I'm probably going to go through, you know, what it was like 50 years ago. At the end of it, I'll-- I'll do that sing-y thing that I do.

sentimental music

Mike

"Funny How Time Slips Away. Funny How Time Slips Away."

singing softly

Mike

How time slips away As Mike Leckrone prepared to take his final bow, thoughts turned to a lifetime filled with music.

cheers and applause

Mike

During my childhood, I don't ever remember there not being music. I grew up and was born in a little town in Indiana, North Manchester. I was born in a house; I wasn't born in a hospital. I have a sister. That's my only other sibling. My dad was a schoolteacher, as a band director. My mother started as a housekeeper. Later on, she became a clerk in a record store, which gave me a lot of access to a lot of music when I was very young.

Mika Mitmoen

His mom was more outgoing. She was the outgoing one, but my Grandpa Leck, he was very quiet. My dad's a lot like him. Liking to just sit back and observe, read, love music. Mike's dad-- Harold 'Leck' Leckrone-- a school band teacher known for giving music lessons to children of all ages throughout the community. To Mike, he passed on a lifelong love of music.

Mike

My dad, obviously, being a band director, he was always bringing home records for me to listen to. He wanted me to learn to play an instrument. My first instrument was as a percussionist. When I asked him that in later years, "Well, you didn't have any teeth," he said. "You couldn't play any other kind of instrument at that point because there was no teeth." But he said, "I wanted you to learn rhythmically "how to read notes and read music. "Music is a great outlet for you, and it's something that'll serve you well all your life." So, that was the message that he gave me very early on. As soon as I had my teeth, I started playing trumpet. By the time I was in the sixth grade, I was playing in the high school band. It was a tradition in the high school to display your medals on your uniform. If you got medals, and the medals came either winning 1st or 2nd place in one of the music events. And I would go to a music festival,

and if it started at 8

00 in the morning

and ended at 4

00 in the afternoon, I might play eight, ten events. Because of my nature, I just did a lot of 'em.

Mika Mitmoen

He also participated in baseball, he participated in track, and he played basketball. My favorite sport was basketball because you're in Indiana, and that's all anybody knows. It's a great, great tradition. My grandpa would always put on, like, a little halftime show on the basketball court. But with my dad being a basketball player there and in the band, there was a little bit of a conflict with time.

Mike

So, my dad and the high school coach worked out a plan where-- with about two minutes to go in the first half-- the coach would pull me out. I would run across the hall where my mother had a uniform that we had specially built.

Mika Mitmoen

She made a special kind of a shirt, similar to what you might call a "dickey," that had the tie attached to it, and it snapped in the back. So, she just put it on, snapped it in the back. He said he'd just put his arms out, go out, perform for the halftime show, and then go back, take it off, rejoin the team, and play the second half.

audience cheering

playful jazz

Mika Mitmoen

A mother's clever costume solution was just the beginning of what went on to become a flashy tradition.

cannon blast

Mika Mitmoen

Whoa!

crowd cheering

Mika Mitmoen

It started very simply with a fancy shirt that I happened to have backstage and put on because my other shirt was just absolutely drenched in sweat. And so, I did it and I got a reaction. The next year, you start getting, "Well, what are you going to wear next year?" Or, even the kids in the band pick up on it, "Well, "that was pretty wild last year. What you gonna do?" "Have you got something to match that next year?" So then, you feel that obligation to try to match or outdo what you did before.

mischievous jazz

Lois Levenhagen

Well, I'm coming down today to fit Mike with his new costume and go from there to see how it fits, and then, if I've got some more alterations, finish hemming, I'll take it all home, and then, bring it back later this week.

sewing machine whirrs

lifts presser foot, cuts threads

Lois Levenhagen

To come up with an idea for his jacket every year, Mike and I get together, but then during the year, the both of us, we like to watch the skating programs on TV, or he likes to go out to some of the shows where there's like in Las Vegas.

Mike

Once in a while, I'll see a design I'll cut out of a magazine or a advertisement somewhere that I'll show her and say, "This, get close to this." Once they put the show together, we know what the theme of it is, then we sit down and decide, "Okay, we may take something from this jacket or this idea and put it together." They became a little more subtle in the last year if you can call glitz and shine and fringe and everything, if you call it subtle. Is that right?

cheering

Mike

One of the core stipulations for the last jacket that I wear, the last jacket I put on is, Have to be red!

snickers

Mike

It's got to be red.

Lois Levenhagen

No one else has seen this yet except for my husband. There's the back. It's got the 50 on it. I got the 50 and "On, Wisconsin!"

whispers

Lois Levenhagen

There you go.

Mike

It's not as bulky as it used to be. - It's not as bulky, alrighty. So, if it fits here, it's probably gonna fit.

Lois

Well, if I don't get a chance later,

I'd like to give you a big hug. - Mike

Oh, I'll give you one. Thanks again for everything, for all the years. Yep, it's been fun.

band chattering, clapping rhythmically

Mike

Good morning, Elm Drive. WAKE UP!

blows whistle sharply

blows whistle five times

Mike

"On, Wisconsin!"

Mike

Janice Stone

He could get people to do things they really didn't want to do, and it's pretty amazing.

Mike

Stop at the top. Hit the ground together. Match legs.

Gary Ciepluch

There'd be days where it would be so cold. He said, "It's just a state of mind." He would say that all the time! "If you want to feel cold, feel cold. I'm not cold." He'd take his shirt off, and say, "It's not cold out here. "It's all a state of mind. You're better than that." He'd get these young kids believing that we could do anything and then, all of a sudden, going and taking a test was nothing.

Mike

We're going to do the knee bow again. We had some people in that quadrant right back there.

yelling sternly

Mike

Focus! Focus! Focus!

Emma Watermolen

That probably seems like a big component of what he's doing is, like, just screaming at us, which... sometimes has to be done. And sometimes, he has to take his headset off and throw it on the ground and shimmy down that tower, and, like, run, and you're like, "Oh, no, here he comes! Like, what did I do wrong?" You're looking at your sheet

fretting voice

Emma Watermolen

"Did I do this? Oh, no!! And like you can feel the adrenaline, and then, he just runs right past you.

Mike yelling

FOOT PLACEMENT! I am a bit of a yeller. If I see something I don't like, I think it should be fixed, and I'm not very patient, particularly if I've already told you once. Right away "On, Wisconsin!" Don't play it; Just do it. I don't think I ever have yelled at anybody that couldn't do what I've asked them to do. I've told the band many times they're never going to be as good as I want 'em to be. They're never gonna be as good, perhaps, as they could be, but that's the problem. If you're not as good as you could be, that's where the yelling comes in. SPACE, TRUMPETS! SPACE!

Scott Teeple

This man is a master of group psychology and group dynamics. He's not really mad, but he's really pretending to be mad to fire up those students. When I climb up on the tower sometimes when I go visit rehearsals, and Mike is up there, and he's barking at the band and really giving them the what for, he'll just turn to me, and wink and smile. Are you ready, kids?

Band in unison

Aye, aye, Captain! Tweet, tweet, tweet!

Emma Watermolen

We all idolize him, so we want to be there. He shows us that we're good. It can be really fun. Someone's expecting greatness of you, it's the greatness that you can achieve. Greatness you can achieve. For Mike Leckrone, setting a high bar came from his own story......from lessons learned through his own family.

Mike

My grandfather and I were very close. He was a very stern individual. I started working for him, probably when I was in about the eighth grade. He was in charge of the town maintenance. With my grandfather, you didn't get off easy. I was digging ditches. I was doing work on the streets. I was sweeping streets. Anything you could mention that had to do with street maintenance and town maintenance, why I did. He got me used to the idea that hard work isn't really a bad thing to do. And was, was a philosopher in a lot of ways. A lot of the sayings that I utilized later for the band, I know I picked up from my grandfather. He would put us in a ditch and say, "You can stand anything if you know when it's gonna end." And then, he would say, "Guys, it's gonna end at five o'clock." So, you knew you were in the ditch working 'til five o'clock, but somehow it made the time tolerable. And I know I've used that on students to make them think those rehearsals would be tolerable for a while.

ladder creaking

Janice Stone

There's a lot of different band slogans or things that Mike will say.

It boils down to one word

pride.

Janice Stone

The one that I would say is most prominent is "Eat a rock." Meaning, you have to be tough enough to eat rocks to do this. It's going to be hard.

Mike

And you do it for pride. The pride of the band, for the seniors, anything you want, but it's for pride.

Bob Rooney

I think my favorite saying that Mike uses all time is, "If it was easy, anybody could do it."

Melanie Rooney

Nobody said, "Do it again!"

Dan

That was my second choice.

all laughing

Dan

- THAT WAS MY SECOND CHOICE!

Whole Rooney Family

Do it again!! DO IT AGAIN!! Do it again!!

laughing

Mike

You've got to do it every day. All the time.

Louis Liu

Mike would say, "All I want is all you got." He's not asking more. He's not asking too much. He's just asking for everything you have.

Mike

It's the Wisconsin band. It has to be good. And that's just-- that's reason enough.

Emma Watermolen

He said something about moments of happiness, and I was like, "Okay, "I'm not happy right now. "Like, my body hurts and... you're yelling at us."

laughs

Emma Watermolen

But he just kept saying that, and there were a lot of moments of happiness.

Mike

If you don't take pride in what you do, then... you're lost.

Emma

We all have ups and downs, and if you don't have that place to return to, it's really hard to push forward.

It's one word

pride. You go out there, and you do it for pride.

playing "76 Trombones" from The Music Man

Mike

Work harder! You're playing mushy. Dot da-da-dah-dah-dah Dot dot-da-dah-dut-da dot-dot-dot

band members murmuring

Mike

Sunday was okay. And I'm saying this for the benefit of everybody. The worst thing about Sunday was the hesitancy. And that's what's gonna happen. When we mix it up here for the next two or three concerts.

in a demanding tone

Mike

Can you make it more musical? It sounds like a bad drum section.

band chortling

Here we go

Seven. 1-and-2 at seven 2-3-4.

band playing smoothly

Here we go

Those early life lessons and tough work ethic propelled Mike through his college years at Butler University. After graduation, he went on to lead the school's marching band. But after 10 years at Butler, it was time for a new challenge.

Mike

I had always been a fan of the Big Ten, and I think they had the greatest bands in the country at that time. I thought, "Well, maybe I could take that next step." And it was that ambition, wanting to see if I could do it and if people would be interested in having me do it.

Ray Luick

All of a sudden, this skinny guy with a crew cut, with a funny accent, shows up, and he is the new band director. What is he going to try to do? How is he going to be different?

Gary Ciepluch

Why is he here? Why did he come to Wisconsin? There's a sleeping giant here that maybe I can stir and maybe make something happen.

Ray Luick

Nothing else was going to be the same.

crowd cheers wildly

Ray Luick

Mike Leckrone's childhood was filled with music, close family ties, and a value for hard work. That combination created the perfect foundation

for his next step

his dream job as a Big Ten band director. But Mike soon discovered his Indiana upbringing had not fully prepared him fo r Madison, Wisconsin in 1969.

film projector fires up, motor spinning, sprockets clicking

'70s rock, protesters chanting

chaotic shouts

Recording of Fred Harrington, UW President

for his next step

We have reached the point of clear and present danger in our institutions."

boots marching synchronously

for his next step

The University of Wisconsin- Madison was a place of unrest and turmoil, as anti-war protests erupted across the campus.

chaotic shouting

for his next step

Suddenly, there were these military uprisings. As I looked out the window at my office, I could see people with fixed bayonets. There was an anti-military atmosphere, and here I am, wanting to organize a military-type group.

Ray Luick

When you are in an organization that puts on a uniform in the late '60s, it was not necessarily seen as a positive thing. A turbulent campus environment and a band in need of direction. What might have seemed like a thankless challenge, Mike saw as opportunity.

Mike

When I came to Madison, basically, they said, in their own way, "Make it better."

game buzzer rings, crowd cheers

Mike

I was gonna be the third band director in three years. And that means there's no continuity. On the surface, it looked like it wasn't a good opportunity. That was a challenge within itself, but it was also a wide-open challenge.

ref blows whistle

ball swishes through net, cheering, whistle

Mike

And that was very important to me, who was trying to take that next step and didn't want any barriers in the way to take it.

"Wisconsin's Pride"

Mike

Ray Luick

First rehearsal, we walk out. He said, "Line 'em up." So, he walked down, introduced himself to every member, and he has not forgotten anybody's name from that band since.

Gary Ciepluch

It made a huge university very small. The first day I'm on the field, and I walked by, and Mike Leckrone says, "Gary, get your get your legs up!" How did he know my name?!? "How do you know my name?" I auditioned for him two minutes. And I said, "Either I'm in trouble, or this is gonna be the greatest experience of my life."

percussion

Announcer

Ladies and gentlemen, the University of Wisconsin Marching Band!!!

cheering

Mike

The group that I did inherit were very hardcore. My first goal was to get them to do "horns up" together so that when it came time to bring the horns up into playing position, they did it crisply, they did it uniformly, there was a sense of intensity about it. I used to say, "That first year, we had the best 'horns up' in the country."

crowd cheering

Mike

I think part of my strategy was, I want 'em to feel what it feels like to do something really well. Take that to the next step in what we were trying to do. Most bands in the Big Ten were doing a move called the "chair step." Mike took that step, added some flash,

and created the Wisconsin signature move

stop at the top. I think the step that I added, the stop at the top, had a built-in intensity and that became something that the band started to feel, and I think the audience started to see.

CJ Zabat

He wanted to give it some oomph, some flash. Something that people really want to see. Instead of bringing it all the way up to 90 degrees, he brought it down to 45. And so, your thigh would be about 45, and then, you'd point your toe all the way down as straight down as you can go, hoping that it's all just kind of a straight line. The kicker with stop at the top is that you switch legs as fast as you can. You kind of give it a slight hesitation, where you stop right there once you reach that point, hold it there for the audience to enjoy and be like, "Oh, my gosh! They just did that." And you swap again; You keep going back and forth. The new step wowed audiences, and showed off the intensity and precision of the band's signature moves... Early evidence of the showmanship Mike would bring to every performance. But it would be the creation of another tradition that propelled Mi ke's reputation as a showman.

clanking, clunking sounds

Tim Mackay

Go ahead and hop up here, Mike. Do you feel like this height is where you want this? Maybe a little lower, if you don't mind. - Sure. We can contain it around your jacket, but it might look good if your jacket was over it.

Mike

Over the top? Alright. Yeah, we'll look at it tomorrow. Ready? Here we go. Three, two, one, go. And you dial it up, up, up, up, up.

motor lifting

Mike

I think, start by waving 'Hi' to the upper crowd there, yeah. This year, we're flying Mike on a big arch, and we're flying him for his Act Two entrance using the jet pack. Go, go, go!

jets fire

Sarah Marty

Mike is quite the daredevil. We like to think of him as the Evel Knievel of the marching band world.

mischievous music

Mackay

Cool. Do a couple of those. Great.

Mike

In the concert, there had been a series of times where we had done entrances, and the entrances, got more and more involved. And we had pretty much done everything we could do at ground level. So, we started thinking, "What can we do 'up'?

fantasy music

Mike

The flying, like probably everything else in the concert, was evolutionary. It started as, "What if we?..." and then, whatever the next line was.

audience cheering

Mike

It started from those kind of things. We rigged a bicycle so I could ride the length of the floor over the audience. And that was fairly well safety-ed, but only from the standpoint of the bicycle. I had to hold on to it, and there was no safety belt. And we rigged it, and I did it.

chuckles

cheers and applause

Mike

Because it was different, everybody liked it. So, we just kept adding, adding, and things. And then, the problem was it became too much fun.

"Space Badgers"

Mike

I enjoyed doing it too much so we just kept it in the show, and it became sort of a trademark.

cymbals clang dramatically

Mike

Are you ready to have a good time this evening? Are you ready? Trademarks, traditions, and tricky moves... all part of building the Mike Leckrone Big Ten legacy. One of the reasons the marching band's traditions have been established is because there was a point in our history where the football team wasn't as successful as it is now.

crowd cheers, then groans

Mike

Mike was trying to find ways to keep the fans engaged and involved, really, for the team.

crowd cheers, then groans

Mike

What he knew he could influence was what the band does, and how the band interacts with the crowd, and what the band does during the game. Very gently, I started adding crowd participation things. And the first one, I remember very distinctly. The first one we added was the "Beer Barrel Polka."

"Beer Barrel Polka"

Mike

We're in Wisconsin. Everybody knows the "Beer Barrel Polka."

Janice Stone

It's something that keeps the audience involved, and it makes that connection. You're not just sitting there passively as an audience member. You are expected to get up and dance. You are expected to yell, "Hey!" You are expected to do the "Chicken Dance." That interaction, I think, is really unique. Adding the "Beer Barrel Polka" engaged the crowd, but fans wanted even more. Hockey games were filled with cheers of, "We want a polka!"

stadium crowd hollering

inaudible

Announcer

for Cornell, lining the shot, look at those lines-- A rebound-- a shot and a goal!

cheering

Announcer

When we'd get to the Coliseum, people would say, "We want a polka!" A little bit later, I told the band, I said, "They want a polka." I said, "If you take this song, change the drum part a little bit." I said, "It will sound like a polka. They'll shut up and leave us alone."

hockey players shouting

Announcer

But when they got to the spot in "You've Said It All," where the crowd is supposed to say when you say, "Nah, dah, duh," which is the name of a product, they hollered out the name of the product. And so, I told the band, "Look, next time we come to that, you stand up, turn around, and holler out "When you say Wis-con-sin, you've said it all!"

fans singing

Announcer

When you say Wis-con-sin You've said it all!

roaring cheers

Announcer

Playing "You've Said It All" carried over into the football season. The crowd sang along. They were up on their feet, dancing in the stands. It was a hit!...maybe too big of a hit. And as we did it-- it was a very exciting game-- reports came back to me that when we did it, the upper deck was swaying up and down. Elroy Hirsch, the athletic director, called me in. He said, "Mike, we're getting a lot of complaints." He said, "Can you cut out "You've Said It All"? 'Cause people are very concerned about their safety." I said, "Why don't we make an announcement? "Due to safety concerns, "the band will not play "You've Said It All" "until five minutes after the final gun to allow people to leave the stadium." Well, as soon as you make an announcement like that, nobody leaves, everybody's curious. The curiosity from Mike's lively post-game performance kept drawing crowds game after game.

crowd cheering

Mike

A local sportswriter named Glenn Miller picked up on what was happening, and he started referring to it, in press as, "The band did a Fifth Quarter, again," and kept using this term. It became part of our language that this is what we're doing. We're doing "The Fifth Quarter" now. Badger Fans, make sure to stick around after the game for The Fifth Quarter! The Fifth Quarter was born, and for decades, audiences and the band celebrated together-- win or lose. The tradition soon cemented its place among collegiate lore.

"If You Want to Be a Badger"

Mike

Gary Ciepluch

The band created all this incredible energy and excitement.

Mike

It was a phenomenon.

cheering

background chatter

warming up instruments

Mike

Pace yourself. Don't overplay. Remember, we gotta do this tonight. We gotta do it tomorrow night. We gotta do it the night after that, and the night after that. 1, 2, 3. Bringing out the best in his students and leading them to a higher level of performance. For Mike Leckrone, the role of band director was a combination of a passion for music, some innovation and flash, and a lot of coaching. Is that tempo alright for you guys?

Band

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Mike

Right at E.

Barry Alvarez

Mike's very unique. You see the passion. He takes great pride in his band and how they represent us. When you're a leader, when you're an educator, it's about trying to build young people. I was fortunate to have great coaches throughout my entire tenure, from the time I started playing. And they had such an impact on my life, and I wanted to do the same thing for others. It's the exact same way with Mike.

Mike

I came under the influence of people who were really good coaches. And my basketball coach in high school was just a terrific coach. He made you love playing, and he was one of those kind of coaches that when you got done playing, you really felt good about yourself, whether you'd won or not. It influenced me so much that when I got to be ready to think about a career, coaching was one of those things that I thought, "I liked the effect these men had on me, and I could see myself doing it." 1, 2, beginning, 2, ready, and... DIG! DIG! Dig! Dig! Dig! How bad do you want it? When people make a comparison to me, "I've heard that what you do is like coaching," I don't deny it. I think it's a flattering comparison.

snapping on snare drums

Mike yelling

I want more desire than that! You work on physical attributes, you work on the mental part of the game. The main difference is that musical part of it, which you don't necessarily see if you're a basketball player or baseball player. I've heard baseball players talk about the rhythm of the swing, and I've heard basketball players talk about, you know, that rhythm that they get into, that synchronization that they get into.

cheering, whistling

Mike yelling

There is kind of a Wisconsin spirit that I encountered when I first got here. There was a different feeling in the air, and I can't really describe it other than to say, I caught it, I caught the feeling.

Barry Alvarez

That's part of our package. You don't come just to a football game. You don't come just to a basketball game. Part of that experience is the band. We have 23 sports, and they're at most of the games that we play. They're there.

percussion plays solo, crowd cheers

Barry Alvarez

I found out about the band as I started going around the state trying to sell the program, but every place I went, someone wanted to talk about the band. Really upset me, quite frankly. I don't wanna talk about the band. I'm the football coach. And finally, someone said to me, "You know, I hope you build a football program that the band could be proud of."

laughs

Barry Alvarez

I think that sent a strong message to me.

fans cheering

players tackling

Gary Ciepluch

We've all had peaks and valleys, but the one constant was the band. No matter win, lose, or draw, they were there to entertain, to have fun,

fan blows vuvuzela horn

Gary Ciepluch

and to give spirit to the student athletes that were trying their hardest.

cheering

funky music

Bob Miller

The Wisconsin hockey team has caught the imagination of thousands of fans. What do you like about Badger hockey? I like winning.

laughs

Bob Miller

The excitement. I like a fight now and then.

laughs

Bob Miller

The story of the acceptance of Wisconsin hockey in Madison is unique. And this is that story... One of the things that gave the band the biggest boost in my earliest years, was the fact that we were, we became a staple at hockey games. Bob Johnson, our hockey coach, legendary figure in Wisconsin history, came to me one day, and he said, "Can you get a band to play at a hockey game?" I don't even remember if I'd ever seen a hockey game before. But Bob was one of those guys that you didn't say 'no' to. So, Badger Bob Johnson and Mike Leckrone teamed up. And the hockey coach and the band director soon discovered that joining forces brought the games to a new level.

"Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"

Bob Miller

hockey buzzer

Bob Miller

Growing popularity and excitement for the hockey program and creating an opportunity for the band to further establish its unique reputation.

Ray Luick

To be the first athletic endeavor during Leckrone's existence here that took off is so ironic because it's the sport he knew the least about. But then, the relationship he developed with the coach, Bob Johnson, is just absolutely marvelous. Johnson was the same way.

"Wisconsin Forward Forever"

Ray Luick

He was trying to get people interested in hockey like Mike was with the band. So, the two of them said, "What can we do to help each other?"

John Berg

The band was a huge part. You know, you have to make new ice, and you have those delays between first and second, and second and third periods. And who filled that space? Mike and the band.

Mike

The band established a personality. In a lot of ways, there were big signs. They had "Leckrone Legionnaires." In the meantime, the hockey team got really good.

Announcer

Picked up, score!!! On the rebound!!

Mike

It was wild. Wisconsin had just won the national championship in Detroit. Obviously, a great deal of celebrating was going on. People were wild. The band was performing everywhere you could imagine. All this celebration going on, and there's no Bucky Badger. Bucky Badger had left his uniform, his suit, with the band. So, I happened to know where the suit was located under one of the buses. So, I said, "Wouldn't it be fun if I got to be Bucky Badger?"

"If You Want to be a Badger"

Mike

Just a short period of time. Make an appearance, do everything that Bucky Badger does. And so, I put on the suit, and I made an appearance as the band was playing. Everybody was happy. I disappeared quickly back into the crowd. No one has ever known. 'Til now.

chortles

Mike

It was one of those things that you can put on your bucket list, say, I did it, but I don't know that I can tell anybody I did it.

"If You Want to be a Badger"

Mike

Stepping into the role of Bucky Badger,

being a part of a national hockey championship

two big career highlights for Mike Leckrone. And yet, after 25 years at UW-Madison, there would be even more great moments to come.

triumphant fanfare

Mike

Good morning, Breese Terrace!

blows whistle sharply

Mike

Wake up!

percussion

Mike

I had been here twenty-five years. After 25 years, you think, "That's it." I mean, "This is as good as it's gonna get." It has to look like this. You have to have equal sight on both sides. Otherwise, it looks wrong. I do remember Mike telling me, early on in my tenure, his goal was to someday march in the Rose Parade and be a part of the Rose Bowl. I thought it would never happen. The football team hadn't been very good. And then, out of nowhere, suddenly they started winning games and winning games and winning games and then, you started to see that, and it was like this thing coming down the road.

crowd cheering

Mike

Could it happen?

Announcer

Wisconsin Badgers are going to the Rose Bowl.

Mika Mitmoen

People just went wild that we're finally getting to go to the Rose Bowl. It was so exciting.

airplane engine purrs

Mika Mitmoen

A trip to the 1994 Rose Bowl. The Wisconsin spirit was on the national stage in Pasadena, with Wisconsin's showman leading the big parade.

"On, Wisconsin!"

Mika Mitmoen

Mike

That whole week was so filled with life-remembering moments. Oh, it was, it was amazing. Mike achieved his dream of marching in the Rose Parade, and leading his band at halftime. But it was the football team and the final play of the game that put Wisconsin, and Mike, on top of the world. Just 5 seconds. - Hooray! YAY! - IT'S ALL OVER!! Wisconsin has won!! Wisconsin wins the Rose Bowl!

John Berg

That place literally... shook.

Mika Mitmoen

Dad was just elated. You'd have thought he had won the game. I mean, he was so excited about it.

John Berg

The Rose Bowl is magical.

rapturous cheers and applause

John Berg

"Varsity"

John Berg

Fans sing

Varsity Varsity

John Berg

I don't think the smile ever went off Mike's face. Praise to thee, Wisconsin And you could just tell how, how special it was, and it was infectious. Mike is infectious.

Fans sing

Praise to thee, our alma mater!

Mike

The Rose Bowl has to stand out as the most, most important single thing I've done. U-rah-rah Wisconsin!

overwhelmingly cheering

Mike blows "listen up" whistle, then four countdown whistles

percussion starts

Mike

Mike's years at the Un iversity of Wisconsin- Madison were filled with happy moments. Through all those years, through all the games and rehearsals,

there was one constant in Mike's life

his wife, Phyllis.

Mike

I think the only reason I was able to do as much as I wanted to do, and, boy, I would really stress that, it was really Phyllis that made it work. She was very proud of what Dad had accomplished and of the band. She was just a reliable presence in the background. You knew that if, in the worst-case scenario, we still had one fan who was always looking out for us, and that was Phyllis, and Mike knew that, too.

Mika Mitmoen

According to Dad, they happened to be in the same homeroom, and, he said, also band. As my dad says, with a grin on his face, she just couldn't leave him alone.

Mike

Maybe the fact that we were both trumpet players and by the very nature of that we were kind of thrown together. But I do remember almost right away that there was some, some attraction that never really left.

laughs

Mike

I asked her formally to marry me Christmas Day in 1953. We were both 17 years old. We hadn't yet made our 18th birthday. It was a very whirlwind wedding. We were kids and didn't know any better. And everything was an adventure.

Mika Mitmoen

While we were young, she was the person that kind of held down the fort so that Dad was able to do the things that he did. And we just understood, too, that there were times that Dad wasn't gonna be available because he had different commitments that he was doing.

Scott Teeple

I think it was their 60th anniversary and I said, "Now, Mike, I have to ask what is your secret to 60 years of marriage?" And then he said, "Well, I'll tell you, I'll tell you. You wanna know what the secret is?" and without missing a beat, Phyllis said, "Be quiet, Mike." And Mike pointed to Phyllis and said, "That's the secret!" It was almost like they had it set up. It was brilliant.

percussion

Mika Mitmoen

Every pre-game, dad knew exactly where mom was sitting. So, when he went up on his ladder, he would turn around, put his hand on the brim of his hat.

Gary

...And tipping his hat thanking her for allowing him to make this happen for himself, for his family, for his students, for the fans, for the state of Wisconsin.

Sarah Marty

Mike's wife Phyllis passed away in August of 2017. So, the 2018 concert was the first year that she wasn't there to give him notes and to give us notes after the concert. Guys, the keyboard player is going to end up right about here. The challenge is going to be doing this in 30 seconds. The team behind the Spring Band Concert knew they wanted to do something special to honor Phyllis Leckrone and came up with a heartfelt idea. We've been thinking about how we might be able to honor her, and we actually put together a family band. A Leckrone Family Band. So, we have his son, and his grandson and his granddaughter will be performing together on this concert.

Erik Leckrone drumming solo

Mike

We did the song "Me and Bobby McGee" and I said at the time, it and another song were very important to the family. Feeling good that's good enough for me It was a song that Phyllis liked. One of those songs that we sort of understood was important to us. I think there were members of the family who were surprised when I said that's the song we're going to do. Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee

Scott Teeple

If these are songs that are special to the family, then certainly "You are My Sunshine" is going to be one of these because that is a song that was one of Phyllis's favorites.

Mike singing

Scott Teeple

You are my sunshine My only sunshine

Mike

When a kid was sick or needed cheering up, Phyllis would sing the song. It became a very significant healing song for the family.

trumpet flourish

cheering

drumming

Mike

Music has been at the center of the Leckrone family through generations. And sharing their musical talents on stage has been a long family tradition, too.

Mika Mitmoen

One of the things that my dad and his dad would do when he was in high school, he and Grandpa would go around, and they would perform similar to a vaudeville act.

Mike

We worked out a trumpet duet, a two-part harmony. I would finger his instrument while he was playing, and then he would bring his arm up and finger mine. There was a certain amount of bit work, whose hand goes where. We milked it for everything it was worth.

trumpet solo

Mike

The most famous person I probably ever saw was Louis Armstrong. He made an impact on me. It was just the joy of him making music. You could just sense he was having fun doing what he loved to do. And that's a great lesson to learn.

cheers and applause

Mike

That joy for making music and captivating an audience, fueled Mike's natural ability as a showman.

Gary Ciepluch

It's a gift. He's able to work the magic to get everybody to feel, "I want to be like this guy." This is a... this is a showman. He was so charismatic. But it was a way of connecting to your audience. He has the ability to connect. It's truly a gift.

school bell rings

Gary Ciepluch

The Leckrone legacy reached far beyond the marching band on the playing field. My goal in this class is to get you to be better listeners. Musician and composer. Arranger and music educator. Mike's many talents have touched the lives of scores of students and fellow artists.

Sarah Marty

He's such a good teacher. I took, like, everything he offered.

tubas playing

Sarah Marty

Then, often, he'd bring in a piece he had written himself. And, for many of us, it was a surprise. Like, "Oh, you direct the marching band, and you also are a composer?!?"

Scott Teeple

He's always teaching thousands of people some little tidbit or some piece of history. And that comes through in everything that he does.

applause

Mike

I'd like to present to you, Linda Franklin!

Linda Franklin

Mike is nationally known for his ability to write incredible arrangements of songs. Amazing grace How sweet the sound So, I did at least three UW Marching Band Concerts with Mike. He's someone who knows how to manipulate music to the point that it's supportive of the performer. But now I see He's just such a multifaceted musician.

vocalizing

Linda Franklin

I once Mike's work with thousands of musicians over the past 50 years created some unique personal connections...

Mike

Those are some of our trumpets and trombones....including one family with three generations of Mike Leckrone Marching Band members. We're the Rooney's.

Aaron Rooney

With me being in Mike's last band and my grandpa being in Mike's first band, it's literally the beginning and end of his career at Madison.

Bill Rooney

When Aaron decided to join the band, I was thrilled as a parent. I think that's a great thing for him to do because it was a very worthwhile experience for me. Hopefully, he'll get that much joy and work ethic out of it also.

Mike

It's kind of like watching your life pass by you as you can visualize each one of those people, what they brought to the band. I'm very proud of that fact that I was there to see three generations.

Aaron Rooney

I just think that's really special to be a part of.

Mike

They saw something in it that was worth continuing doing. That, to me, is the real compliment that I got. It's just very gratifying to see all that happen. So, it's this little perfect lineage.

Band reciting

Once a Badger, always a Badger.

Mike

Anybody who's about to go on stage for any kind of performance,

crowd chanting

Mike

there's that moment before the lights come on, and you say, "Okay, I got to produce now." One of those moments that I get a chance to be reflective is just before we go on stage. I get a chance to think about a lot of things. Sort of go over in my mind how I've got to proceed. Making sure I've got the first couple lines in my head that I'm going to say so that I start some momentum. But at the same time, just think about, "Here we go."

Man

Okay,

we're going out. - Guy

Alright, going out. Here we go!

Mike

This past year, it was, "Well, here we go one last time."

ecstatic cheering

Mike

One last time... Mike's final year leading the UW Band was full of 'last times', including one last Camp Randall football game and a final salute.

Mika Mitmoen

After my mom's passing, my dad continues to do his salute to mom. We wanted to have her presence there for Dad. We put together a flower with her picture on it, and then one of the assistants would hang it on the fence right in front of the band, in front of Dad's ladder, so that he could see mom and she was with him during the games.

Mike

It's never about the moments of unhappiness; It's always about the moments of happiness. Mike Leckrone's unprecedented 50-year career leading the UW Marching Band was filled with memories and milestones and countless moments of happiness. And then, one more turning point.

Mika Mitmoen

I think he kind of had a goal in mind of how far he would like to go in his career before he retired, and with Mom's passing, and hitting a milestone of 50 years at this position, I feel that that was just kind of a sign to him.

John Berg

I don't think he wants to quit. But I think there comes a time when you leave in the right way. And I think he's totally doing that.

crowd cheers enthusiastically

The big night arrives

Mike's final Spring Band Concert.

drumming

The big night arrives

No more rehearsals. No more second chances. Just one last time to put on a show.

cheering crescendos to a roar

Announcer

Ladies and gentlemen, the University of Wisconsin Varsity Band!

"On, Wisconsin!"

Announcer

audience cheering

Leckrone shouts

One more time?!?

audience cheers wildly

Mika Mitmoen

He knows how to put on his showmanship and does such a fabulous job.

Leckrone yelling

You want to do it one more time?!? It's just so exciting.

Mike

Well, it's show business. I can have fun with it. With the crowd on their feet, Wisconsin's showman takes his final flight.

jet engine whooshes

Mike

It's probably as close to a sense of weightlessness that I'll ever experience. Oh, I loved it! Oh, thank you!!

intense cheers and applause

Mike

It's the last time. It's a little intimidating, as well as being very exciting. How about that? You like that one, Lois? I like this one a lot. It's my last concert; I'm gonna play what I like. These are songs that

speaking with emotion

Mike

are very important to my family.

applause

Mike

Well, thank you.

"Me and Bobby McGee"

Mike

Raychel Wilson jangles tambourine, sings

Mike

Busted flat in Baton Rouge Headed for a train Feeling nearly faded as my jeans

Scott Teeple

That was a group of people on stage, being very vulnerable. Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee Sharing their music and their love for one another

Michael Mitmoen plays tuba

in front of thousands. -Raychel

La da da da da da da--

Mike belts out his song

Mike

You are my sunshine My only sunshine - La da da da da

Teeple

And when Mike started singing "You Are My Sunshine"...

Mike

When skies are GRAY - Da da da da

singing soulfully

Mike

You'll never know dear

Teeple

...in a style and manner that I never saw coming...

Mike

How much I looooooove you - La da da da da Please--don't--take - La da da da Please don't take My sunshine awaaaay And I thought that was a really special moment.

trombone, keyboard, drums play closing notes

warm cheers and applause

Mike

It was a night

full of special moments for Mike Leckrone

a last chance to entertain, to connect with the audience, to lead his band. But before the final bow, before the curtain lowers, Wisconsin's showman took center stage.

"Funny How Time Slips Away" Willie Nelson

full of special moments for Mike Leckrone

singing

full of special moments for Mike Leckrone

We've had some good times More than I thought we ever would know

yelling

full of special moments for Mike Leckrone

I want more desire THAN THAT! We went to places I never thought I'd get to go

crowd singing "Varsity"

full of special moments for Mike Leckrone

- Praise to thee, Wisconsin But now it's over And those good times Will still Stay in our minds and replay

Announcer yelling

Wisconsin has won in overtime!!! But it sure is funny How all that time slipped away People ask me What am I gonna miss most

yelling at Bucky

Announcer yelling

about this? Thank you again for everything. You're looking at it.

cheers and applause

drumming a distinct cadence

yelling

Announcer yelling

How bad do 'ya want it? WELL, DIG! DIG! Dig! Dig! Dig! Those in the generations of people before who made this band what it is And I can't thank them enough Sure is funny How time slips away But just remember What I told you And have some happy moments Each and every day But it's still funny How time has slipped away All you fans, I can't thank you enough for what you've meant to me, my family.

getting choked up

Announcer yelling

Thank you so much.

swelling cheers and applause

Announcer yelling

Funny how time slipped away

Band singing "Varsity"

Announcer yelling

U-rah-rah! Wisconsin!

cheers and applause billow

Announcer yelling

Mike

Well, I'm a badger. I've been a badger for 50+ years. It gets ingrained in you. I think about what it was like 50 years ago quite often. People have said we've changed some lives, and that's great to think that might have happened over the course of the time I've been here, which is good because that's the reason I've done it all these years is it is to have those memories. I don't think moments of happiness should ever stop.

chuckles

Mike

"You've Said It All: Chorale"

Mike

"You've Said It All"

Mike

crowd cheering

Funding for Mike Leckrone

Wisconsin's Showman is brought to you by Robert J. Lenz, Greg and Carol Griffin, Stanley J. Cottrill Fund, with additional support from Rawson S. & Mary L. Price, Alumni of the University of Wisconsin Band, Focus Funds for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.