ORLANDO, Florida - The absence of FAMU's famous marching band had a bigger impact on Saturday's Florida Classic football game than many had expected.
Even before fans stepped into the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, they knew the crowd would be small. Parking — compared to previous years at least — was a breeze.
One glance at the stands and it was obvious that half the crowd had skipped this year's game, likely because FAMU's Marching 100, suspended because of a hazing that killed drum major Robert Champion last fall, would not be performing. The high-energy battle between the Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University bands at halftime is the Classic's main attraction.
But the missing band hurt more than just attendance, the tally for which came in at 32,317 people — about half the 60,218 fans who came to Orlando last November for what has been the nation's largest football game between two historically black colleges.
The game wasn't as lively, alumni and others said. When Bethune-Cookman's team scored a touchdown, the Marching Wildcats energized the crowd with music. But FAMU had no band to root for it.
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