Homewood's marching back performs during a game between Homewood and John Carroll on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, at Waldrop Stadium. Photo by Richard Force.
Newspapers.com
A headline from the Birmingham Post-Herald in 1999 chronicles the Homewood High School Marching Band's Orange Bowl trip.
As the Homewood High School marching band readies to ring in 2026 in Pasadena, California, for the Tournament of Roses Parade, we look back at another New Year’s Eve on a national stage.
On Dec. 31, 1991, the Patriots marched down the streets of Miami as leaders of the Orange Bowl Parade. The 140-member band, dance line and flag corps performed before a crowd of roughly 500,000, just days before the University of Alabama faced Michigan in the Orange Bowl.
It was a home-team bonus for band director Ron Pence, who noted that several members were “real Alabama fans.” The appearance was one of many prestigious invitations for the Patriots, whose résumé includes the Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Rose Parade and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Acting as ambassadors for Alabama, the Patriots carried the red, white and blue spirit of Homewood all the way to South Florida.
