There’s always been a bit of magic in the autumn air on Friday nights in Seminole, Oklahoma.

It’s the night when the blood coursing through the veins of those who call themselves “Seminole Chieftains” changes in color, from crimson red to dark green, blended with a touch of pure white. It’s called “Green Pride.” It was infused into me at an early age. I spent many a Friday night underneath the fabled Chieftain Stadium lights.

Although I played Tiny Chiefs football as a youngster, I was just never very athletic. I’m still not. But I decided early on that I wanted in on the Friday night action, so I joined the band.

I was always infatuated by the drums, so I took them up in the sixth grade with the dream of someday marching onto the field and playing that legendary drum roll off to “Green and White Forever.”

I stuck with it, and my dreams became a reality when I entered the ninth grade at SHS. I was part of the drum line that I had admired for years. I was the only underclassman that year, and I had a lot to learn. That year’s lineup included drum captain Doug Melton, Pam (Clark) Fletcher, David Johnson and J. Scott Higgins. They taught me the now-legendary cadence that was used to march the band into the stadium clear from the band room. To the best of my knowledge, the cadence was not written out...it was learned entirely by rote. Each class passed it down to the next and kept it alive for many years.

The following year, my sophomore year, I was suddenly the upperclassman in the drum line. The others had either graduated or dropped out of band to pursue other interests, so I assumed the duty of drum captain. I held that post until I graduated in 1982. In addition to the responsibilities of leading the drum section, I was also the “pep band” drummer. In those days, the pep band was a small combo that played at pep assemblies and basketball games. For me, it was almost like being in a rock band, because I got to play a drum set rather than just the marching snare drum.

Fridays were a major affair during football season. The band would gather at the school just as the sun was beginning to come up to get in one final rehearsal before the big half time performance. Football players wore their jerseys to class. The cheerleaders and drill team wore their uniforms. The hallways of SHS were adorned with banners, streamers and posters. Car windshields were emblazoned with words like “Go Big Green” written in white shoe polish.

For me as well as several of my classmates, “Football Friday” meant there would be very little class work that day. We usually managed to get out of class early to march through the halls and play the fight song. We would march down each hallway on all three floors, while teachers and students lined the hallways to clap, cheer and sing along. It got mighty loud, especially in the stairwells of SHS. (That probably has something to do with my hearing loss).

Shortly after marching the halls, it was time to start setting up for the pep assembly in the auditorium. I had drafting class the hour before pep assemblies were to take place, and Mr. Ledbetter always obliged and let me out of his class a few minutes early so I could get my drum set moved from the band room to the auditorium.

The atmosphere in the auditorium was always electric as the band jammed on “25 or 6 to 4,” “Championship,” or “Peter Gunn.” The cheerleaders, drill team, and twirlers always worked up a routine. There were funny skits and full-on dance productions. The coaches and players would take the stage and take turns firing the crowd up.

The best part was always saved for last…the famous “battle cry.” Each class had to participate. The object was to recite the words “V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! That’s the (Senior) Battle Cry!” with as much enthusiasm one could muster. The class that was the loudest won the prestigious honor of being dismissed from the assembly first.

For me, the excitement carried over throughout the rest of the day. I could hardly wait to go home, have dinner and head back to the school. It didn’t matter whether we played at home or away. The band was there for virtually every game.

The march into the stadium was an unforgettable experience. From the first strains of the national anthem to the final note of the fight song, we gave it our all, just as the athletes and coaches on the field had done.

If the game was played at home, the post-game celebration usually involved a few laps around “the drag” and/ or a trip to Pizza Hut. Every now and then we would have a dance in the cafeteria.

All of these memories were etched into my heart long before the movie “Friday Night Lights” came out.

When I moved away from Seminole in 1989, I stopped attending high school football games. My attendance at SHS Homecoming games was hit and miss for many years.

I’ve been back “home” since 2014 and I try to rekindle the Friday Night Magic every chance I get. I can’t play the old drum cadence or keep up with a marching band nowadays, but I can still belt out the fight song.

Green and White. FOREVER.

(Originally published September 2015).