The Langston University Marching Pride Band has once again earned its place on the national stage as it was invited to compete in three “Battle of the Bands” this fall, including the 2025 Pepsi National Battle of the Bands.
The Marching Pride is an elite and celebrated ensemble consistently ranked among the Top 10 HBCU Division II bands, and it will be one of eight Historically Black College or University (HBCU) bands competing in the Pepsi National Battle of the Bands in Houston on Aug. 22-24. This will be their third time participating in the Pepsi National Battle of the Bands; they made their last appearance in 2023.
“The students put in a whole lot of hard work,” said LU’s Director of Bands Dr. Mark Gordon. “From dancing to playing to keeping time, we do stuff that a lot of people can’t do. Not everyone can play the horn and dance and mark time and stay in sync all at the same time.”
The Pepsi National Battle of the Bands was established in 2014 as a celebration of HBCU musical excellence, cultural pride and community engagement. Gordon plans to take between 260-300 students to Houston to compete alongside bands from Alabama A&M University, Albany State University, Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University.
The Marching Pride will compete against many of these bands again a week later in the HBCU Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands in Jackson, Mississippi.
Established in 2016, the HBCU Labor Day Classic will bring together the Top 10 HBCU Bands from across the country for an exciting competition that will exhibit the rich traditions of HBCU musical excellence. This year, that lineup will include Langston University, Jackson State University, Alabama A&M University, Alcorn State University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Southern University, Alabama State University, Grambling State University, Talladega College and Mississippi Valley State University.
Following the Langston University football season opener against Grambling State University in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Aug. 30, the Marching Pride will load their buses and head to Mississippi to compete on Aug. 31. This will be their first time participating in the HBCU Labor Day Classic.
On Sept. 28, the Marching Pride will hit the road again for Wake Up Crank Up, a battle of the bands fundraiser in Dallas, where they will again face Grambling State University, Texas Southern University, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and Alcorn State University. This fundraiser will feature both collegiate and high school bands.
“These are good experiences for the students,” Gordon said. “It gives them some publicity, and it also gives them a chance to travel and see the world.”
The Marching Pride Band has earned a reputation for excellence with performances on national stages such as the Pepsi National Battle of the Bands, the Honda Battle of the Bands, and multiple NBA halftime shows. The band has also shared the stage with popular performers like David Hollister and Lizzo, and it regularly participates in popular events like New Orleans Mardi Gras parades.
The Marching Pride has experienced exponential growth tied to its national success over the past few years. When Gordon took over as band director in 2019, the band only had 45 students. Now the band has over 300 students from a variety of backgrounds, including dozens of international students who come to Langston University just to participate in the band. The band members are dedicated to their studies, and many of them earn GPAs of 3.0 and above. The band also boasts the second highest retention rate for any student group at the university.
Langston University Marching Pride Band Director Mark Gordon received an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Leaders Esteem Christian Bible University on Dec. 17.
Mr. Gordon has been the Director of Bands at Langston University since 2018 and he has grown the band to 275 students. Before that, he had more than 20 years of experience directing bands at the high school and collegiate levels.
His career began at M.B. Smiley High School in Houston, Texas, in 1996. There, Mr. Gordon built the band up to nearly 400 students. After 10 years with Smiley High School, Mr. Gordon returned to his alma mater, Prairie View A&M University, to serve as the assistant director of bands for another 10 years. He then served as the director of bands at Charles H. Milby High School in Houston, Texas, before moving to Oklahoma to take up his current post at Langston University.
Throughout his career, Mr. Gordon has remained involved with the surrounding communities at each of his respective schools through band and choir performances, youth outreach, and involvement at church. He believes his work helping students to graduate high school and find ways to pursue college to be among the top reasons he was selected to receive this honor.
“I am honored and I am blessed to be receiving this honorary doctorate of philosophy,” Mr. Gordon said. “I am blessed to have had the opportunity to work with so many fine students and musicians over the years, and I am thankful that working with them has made a positive impact.”
Mr. Gordon was nominated by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation of Houston to receive this honor. He received his honorary doctorate at a ceremony in the Sans Souci Ballroom in Tomball, Texas, on Dec. 17.
Langston, Oklahoma – Langston University and Adidas have entered into an exclusive contract agreement. Adidas is now the official provider of LU apparel, uniforms, footwear, and equipment. This exclusive contract will represent each of the University’s intercollegiate athletic programs and the Marching Pride Band.
“This is so exciting. We have the opportunity to bring every program under the same brand for the first time in the school’s history,” said LU Athletic Director, Donnita Rogers.
LU Athletics has also signed an agreement with a local partner, Midwest Sporting Goods. “We not only get to work with a national brand, but we are also partnering with another company located in the state of Oklahoma. This means these tax dollars will stay right here,” said LU President, Dr. Kent J. Smith, Jr.
During this process, LU had offers from three major national brands. “One of the reasons we chose Midwest and Adidas was because of their commitment to service,” said Smith.
“It was important to us that we partner with someone who cares about our university community the way we do, I believe that we found that through this partnership.”
LU Athletics is an official member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). “This is a very special day for LU. The reality is our Athletic Director is building a national powerhouse in Athletics,” said Dr. Smith.
“We are not only recruiting incredible talent, but they are performing well in the classroom. Not many institutions can tout that, and that makes me very proud.”
LANGSTON, Okla. – Langston University is proud to announce that Mr. Mark G. Gordon has been appointed as the Director of Bands, effective June 25, 2018. He comes to Langston University with more than 20 years of experience directing bands on the high school and collegiate levels. His bands have won more than 30 first-place trophies from various battles of the band and competitions in Texas and Louisiana. He also hosted the largest high school battle of the bands in Texas for more than eight years with a capacity of more than 20,000 attendees.
Mr. Gordon earned a bachelor’s degree in applied music in 1996 from Prairie View A&M University. He went on to earn a master’s degree in divinity theological studies in 2007 from St. Agnus Georgian School and a master’s degree in music composition from Texas Southern University in 2014. Mr. Gordon is currently working on his dissertation in education and leadership instruction at North Central University. In 1996, he began his teaching career at M.B. Smiley High School in Houston, Texas. He later matriculated back to his Alma Mata; Prairie View A&M University where he was the assistant director of bands for 10 years.
Currently serving as Director of Bands for Charles H. Milby High School in Houston, Texas. Mr. Gordon is also a vocalist and national gospel recording artist. He has recorded with Universal Records and has performed with such artists as Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Stephanie Mills and John P. Kee. He is also a member of the following organizations: JAW Entertainment Group, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Mu Alpha Sigma National Honor Society, and the National Association for the Study and Preservation of African American Music (NASPAAM).
If you would like to contact Mr. Gordon or the Langston University Band Department, you can email mark.gordon@langston.edu or call (405) 466-3418.
Langston University (LU) is a public Historically Black University enrolling a close-knit community of under 3,000 students. Langston University is recognized as a top institution of higher learning for affordability by afforableschools.net and bestvalueschools.com. Founded in 1897, LU is located in rural Logan County and has urban campuses in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Langston offers more than 40 associate, bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs across six academic colleges. Visit us online at http://www.langston.edu.
