New drumheads, new bang planned for Big MO by fall

Just about anybody who’s been to an MU home football game knows Big MO, the shoulder-high behemoth of a drum used to keep fans’ spirits high.

Alumni of the fraternity and sorority that own the drum bang Big MO during the pregame, at crucial plays and for every touchdown.

But all that banging takes its toll. So after Saturday’s last home game of the season against KU, Big MO will be due for a facelift in the form of new 5-foot, custom-made drumheads that will be shipped from California.

“He’s like the obnoxious little brother that you have to take care of — in a good way,” said Nikki Avery, vice president of Tau Beta Sigma, the sorority that co-owns the drum with fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi.

The MU chapters of the honorary band fraternity and sorority have been responsible for Big MO since the mid 1980s. In 1995, Big MO had new drumheads added alongside a fresh paint job, said former Kappa Kappa Psi historian Drew Wilson. But 10 years of wear and tear have left Big MO ready for a new set of heads.

“At any given drum stroke one of the heads could break,” said drum major Bryan Koerner, Kappa Kappa Psi president.

Koerner said new drumheads should cost about $1,700. Fraternity and sorority members said they had raised about $240 at a recent fundraiser at the Heidelberg, putting them near their goal. They plan to have Big MO ready by next fall.

Big MO is touted as the third-largest college bass drum in the country, ranked behind drums at Purdue and the University of Texas. Mark Branson, marching and education coordinator, did not know which school’s drum was the biggest but did know the measurements for the drumheads. The drumheads at Purdue and the University of Texas are each approximately 7 feet, he said, while Big MO’s heads are around 5 feet wide.

A drum that big can be quite a handful.

“The drum is surprisingly heavy, especially when you are running a hundred yards dragging it,” said Zac Maggi, who has played Big MO nearly every game this season.

Big MO debuted for Marching Mizzou in the fall of 1980. Legend has it the drum came from Purdue, but Kathy Matter, Purdue Band’s public relations director, said that wasn’t the case. Purdue has had only one drum since 1921. At the time it was built, it was the world’s largest, Matter said.

“I don’t know that it is anymore,” Matter said. “It’s still fun to pretend.”

Just to fuel Purdue’s long-standing drum rivalry with the University of Texas, Matter declined to give official measurements of the drum.