Image of the Intensely Vigorous College Nine mixing with the crowd at a football game at Griffiths Stadium. Press boxes and camera perch visible in background.

Bio/Historical Note: The Intensely Vigorous College Nine marching band was founded on 1 October 1954 by “Bobs” Caldwell as a spoof on college marching bands. It began life as the Dawn Sommers-Irvine Epstein Memorial Band, in reference to a 1954 prank in which three law students convinced everyone on campus that an aspiring Winnipeg actress visiting campus was actually a rising starlet on contract with Paramount Studios. Irvine Epstein was supposedly the one who exposed the hoax, hence the name. In the fall of 1954 the band changed its name to the G.B. Armstrong Memorial Vegetable Soup Contest and Tug O’ War College Marching Band before settling on the Intensely Vigorous College Nine, perhaps in reference to the ‘College Nine,’ a popular student swing band of the late 1940s. Having rehearsed regularly and dismissing rumours that they were learning only one number, members summed up the band’s progress by noting “she’s not much for music but she’s hell for laughs.” Their first public appearance was at the Homecoming weekend parade. So unusual was their talent, so original their arrangements and so spirited their participation during those festivities that the College Nine were named “Men of the Week” by the Sheaf. The Intensely Vigorous College Nine remained a campus tradition long past the graduation of its original membership, and was an entertaining presence at the University until the mid-1990s. In addition to being active participants in student life, many band members went on to great achievement in their professional careers. Indeed, one alumnus of the College Nine, Ray Hnatyshyn (1934-2002) PC CC CMM CD QC QC(Sask) Hon. FRHSC, became Governor-General of Canada.