Marching Mizzou cancels trip to South Carolina

COLUMBIA - Marching Mizzou will not be attending the MU football game in Columbia, South Carolina Saturday due to a cancelled flight.

The marching band's flight was one of the over 2000 flights cancelled at O'Hare and Midway airports because of a fire deliberately set by a disgruntled worker at an aviation control center.

Originally, 54 students and director Fuller Lyon were going to leave the practice band field at 3:30 p.m. for their 7:45 p.m. flight out of the St. Louis airport.

According to Lyon, after hearing news their flight was cancelled they tried to find a different way to get to Columbia, South Carolina. Options considered included finding a flight for tomorrow or taking a charter bus, but nothing worked.

"There was no other way to put together a nearly 900 mile trip so quickly," Lyon said.

This marks the 20th year Lyon has worked with the SEC and the only other time a band trip was cancelled because of a flight cancellation was on 9/11.

"It's very unusual something like this ever happens," Lyon said.

Saturday's game will also be ESPN's College Gameday showcase game.

"It's one of the most hyped up games so it sucks we won't be able to go," said band member Alexander Mackenzie.

Mackenzie said while all of Marching Mizzou will be cheering on the Tiger football team from Columbia, Missouri, he thinks that it would make a difference to have the band there.

"I feel like it gives the football team a little bit of advantage to have the band playing at away games," Mackenzie said. "The band gets the crowd going and helps cheer the team through stressful situations."