The TMB's first recorded performance was in November 1918 when, at the end of
World War I, members of the TMB led a victory parade of America's returning servicemen in
New York City. "
Fight On", the
fight song of the university was composed in 1922 and became a part of the TMB tradition. In 1923, the school's alma mater, "All Hail", was composed by a member of the TMB, Al Wesson. The TMB gave its first national radio concert on CBS on April 19, 1929. The band participated in the
1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, forming the Olympic Braid in the opening ceremonies in the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (coincidentally USC's home stadium). Additionally, the band later played on another multi-platinum Fleetwood Mac album,
The Dance (1997). During the
1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Bartner directed an 800-member All American College Marching Band, 125 of whom were members of the TMB. The year 1987 featured several significant moments for the band: the TMB trumpets performed the fanfare for
Pope John Paul II in his visit to Los Angeles, the band performed during
Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena, and the band began its current streak of attending all USC home and away football games. In 1988, the TMB performed again at
Super Bowl XXII in San Diego, and at the
Expo '88 World's Fair held in
Brisbane,
Australia, during that nation's bicentennial In 2016 the band became the first American performing group invited to participate in Macau's Chinese new year parade. At the end of the 2016 season, the TMB appeared in the 103rd
Rose Bowl. This marked the 34th time USC has played in the "Granddaddy of Them All". In 2014, the Spirit of Troy was declared the best marching band in college football by USA Today's "College Football Fan Index." The Spirit of Troy also appeared at
Expo 2015 in
Milan,
Italy to perform as part of the American Pavilion's
Fourth of July celebration. This was the band's fifth appearance at a World Expo. In 2019, the Spirit of Troy elected its first female drum major. Bartner retired from the director role following the
2020 season following a tenure of more than 50 years. Jacob Vogel was named the director of the Trojan Marching Band on December 15, 2020. In November 2024, the university reorganized the Trojan Marching Band, USC Spirit Leaders, USC Song Leaders (formerly the Song Girls), the
Tommy Trojan basketball mascot, and Traveler, USC's live mascot, under the single moniker of the
Spirit of Troy. Prior to this, the Spirit of Troy had been used colloquially as the nickname for the band. ==Ties to the entertainment industry==