BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — For decades, Kent Broussard had dreamed about joining Louisiana State University’s prestigious marching band.
But, as dreams far too often go, it fell to the wayside. That is, until Broussard retired.
After years of hard work — including taking up running with a weighted vest, marching through his neighborhood while hauling a 30 pound (14 kilograms) sousaphone, applying and getting accepted to LSU as a student and re-learning his instrument — the retired accountant made his debut on the field of Tiger Stadium during the football team’s home opener Saturday.
The 66-year-old LSU freshman, is now the marching band’s oldest member ever and proof that it is never too late to chase your dream.
Broussard is no stranger to music. He played the sousaphone (a type of tuba designed for marching) in his high school band and at Southeastern Louisiana University until he graduated, but that was back in 1980. As Broussard neared retirement in 2023, he thought about what he wanted to do next.
“As you get older, you contemplate where your life is going to head in retirement,” Broussard told The Associated Press. “I think back about how fast life has gone by … and thinking about something that I always wanted to do, but just didn’t get a chance to do it.”
He decided he was going to try out for the university’s marching band, a cornerstone of the school’s history and culture that Broussard had long revered.
But it would be no easy task to earn a spot on the Grammy-nominated group that has played at events across the world. So, he trained — “mentally, physically and musically.” In addition, in order to even try out, he had to enroll as a student and now spends his days attending class, doing homework and studying for tests.
Months of grueling practice paid off, as Broussard became one of the 325 students who earned a coveted spot in the Golden Band from Tigerland.
One of his “aha moments” came on Saturday during one of the school’s most beloved game day traditions: The march down Victory Hill when LSU coaches, the football team, band and Golden girls parade past droves of fans to Tiger Stadium, while playing the “Pregame Salute” and the introduction to “Touchdown for LSU.”
“Walking down the hill — it was something I’ve always seen and it was a great feeling to be a part of it,” Broussard said, who added that he was “nothing but smiles” in that moment.
But the real test came when the marching band took the field for their halftime performance, playing songs from “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz,” and “Wicked.” Broussard counted his steps as the musicians, continuing to play, weaved in and out of one another. The swirling mass of brass instruments expanded and collapsed perfectly into place to form words and images that could be seen from the stands.
“I’m doing this because I want to be part of something great, because that’s what they are,” Broussard said of the revered band, noting the hard work that each member endures to put on a successful show.
As the game neared the end, with the third-ranked Tigers’ victory over Louisiana Tech, Broussard appeared on the stadium’s Jumbotron. He was donning a perfectly-pressed purple and gold uniform, his silver and white hair glistened under the stadium lights and his glasses bounced on the bridge of his nose as he danced around.
Fans let out a roar of excitement at the sight of the new band member.
While Broussard says that he is “just a 66-year-old guy who wants to play music,” his pursuit of his nearly lifelong dream has resonated with people across the country and of all ages.
“People retire,” Broussard told AP. “Dreams don’t.”
