The Battle Presented by AT&T

Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats and Florida A&M Marching 100 will be flexing their musical muscles in a battle on ESPNU tonight, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. for the start of this five-part series, presented by AT&T.

“The Battle” presented by AT&T is an inside look at the HBCU (Historically Black College and University) Marching Bands from Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M and will air five 30-minute shows during four straight weeks, every Thursday from Nov. 4 to Nov. 25, on ESPNU. The shows reach into the training, discipline, heart and soul that make up HBCU bands. The bands train rigorously day-in and day-out for the football games and rivalries that date back decades as part of the HBCU culture.

The bands’ hard work will culminate at the 31st annual Florida Classic that pits the two Sunshine State rivals in an end-of-the-year showdown at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando Saturday, Nov. 20, at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

The cross-stadium battle of the bands happening throughout the duration of the game and even after in what is called “The Fifth Quarter” is a mix of modern tunes, fight songs and traditional standards. Music producer, fashion designer, and film maker Dallas Austin produced “The Battle.” Austin was the executive producer and music director of the widely-known movie “Drumline.”

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