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Minnesota Now with Nina Moini
Cathy Wurzer and Melissa Townsend

The longtime director of the NDSU marching band hangs up his whistle

Dr. Sigurd Johnson
Dr. Sigurd Johnson has retired from leading the Gold Star Marching Band at NDSU.
Courtesy of the Artist

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The Gold Star Marching Band from North Dakota State University is located right over the border in Fargo, N.D. For the past 15 years, the band was lead by a tall man with a shock of long white hair: Sigurd Johnson.

But Johnson’s last day as band director was Saturday. The band played in Frisco, Texas, at the NCAA Division I FCS national championship, where NDSU won 38 to 10.

Johnson will continue teaching, but he’s done stepping out onto the gridiron. On his first day off, he gave host Cathy Wurzer an inside look at his career — and talked about a surprising NDSU marching band tradition: “the Gold Star Marching Band Alarm Clock.”

It starts with band members gathering surreptitiously with their instruments, then sneaking up on an unsuspecting mark, deep in peaceful slumber — and then… Well, you’ll want to see (and hear) for yourself:

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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