Kansas State sanctions marching band director; will pay $5,000 fine to Big 12 after halftime show

MANHATTAN, Kan. Kansas State announced several internal sanctions Tuesday following the halftime show by its marching band during the Wildcats’ opening football game.

The penalties include:

A self-imposed $5,000 fine to be paid to the Big 12 Conference for violating the league’s sportsmanship policy

A one-game suspension of Frank Tracz, K-State’s marching band director, which will take place Nov. 28 when K-State’s football team travels to Lawrence for a game against rival Kansas.

Formations and designs for all future halftime shows must be approved by representatives from the school’s office of student life and athletic development.

“At Saturday’s home football opener, Kansas State University fell short of its obligation to conduct itself in a consistent manner with the principles of sportsmanship,” K-State president Kirk Schulz said in a release. “Good sportsmanship is part of the Wildcat way. We do not want to do anything that takes away from the tremendous efforts of our student athletes and the award-winning pride of Wildcat Land marching band.”

K-State’s band received national attention over the weekend when some argued a Star Wars/Star Trek-themed halftime show went awry and resembled a sex act against a Kansas Jayhawks mascot.

During the show, band members on the north part of the field formed a Jayhawk. On the south side of the field, other members formed what was described as the Starship Enterprise heading toward the mascot’s beak.

Two people ran from the sideline into the middle of the Jayhawk formation and unfurled a Jayhawk flag or banner. On the Enterprise formation, five people ran from the sideline to unfurl a larger Powercat flag or banner.

Schulz and the K-State marching band later apologized on Twitter. Tracz apologized later on Facebook and explained the misrepresentation.

“There was absolutely no intent to display anything other than the Enterprise and the Jayhawk in battle,” Tracz wrote. “If I am guilty of anything it would be the inability to teach the drill in a manner that these young people could have succeeded. I do apologize for the misrepresentation and I assure you that I meant absolutely no disrespect.”

Tracz attempted to explain the situation in greater detail Monday when he posted an opening comment five minutes before live chat with the campus newspaper was set to start.

“I appreciate all the support that we’ve been getting from the K-State family,” Tracz wrote. “The marching band is a special group of young people to me and the staff. They are deserving of the Sudler Trophy and all the support you could give them.”

In a Tuesday email to band members, Schultz said the self-imposed sanctions were the result of Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby objecting to the use of another university’s mascot in the show.

“As a longtime band parent, I appreciate the technical requirements and practice time to do the live animation while performing,” Schultz wrote, in part. “It is unfortunate that the band has been criticized on social media for a portion of the show which was taken completely out of context.”

The Big 12 on Tuesday issued a public reprimand of Tracz and accepted K-State’s self-imposed penalties.

“The actions of the marching band depicting the disintegration of a member institution’s mascot was inconsistent with the principles and expectations of the Big 12 Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct Policy,” Bowlsby said in a release.

Geralyn Tracz, wife of the band director, wrote on Facebook that KU had complained to the Big 12 about the show. But KU vice chancellor for public affairs Tim Caboni, said the school did not file a complaint and had no plans to become involved in the issue.

K-State’s athletic department this season has asked students to sign a sportsmanship pledge before picking up their football tickets.

“We look forward to our upcoming athletic contests,” Schulz said, “with the expectation of sportsmanlike conduct from the entire K-State family.”

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