After 30 years of incorporating Big MO into football games, MU is receiving a new Big MO, which will be the largest of all college drums.
The new drum will be 9 feet in diameter with a 54-inch black shell, making it the largest marching band bass drum in the world and the second-largest drum in the world, Big MO driver David Champlin said.
“The drum is going to be giant,” Champlin said. “It is going to be 9 feet in diameter. It is going to have a shiny black shell with gold bolts. Once it is made, we are going to get (the) Guinness Book of World Records to document it.”
Since its creation, the Big MO has been a symbol of strength and has been a part of the game, Champlin said.
“Big MO has a history with Marching Mizzou and also with football,” Champlin said. “In the time of the Big Eight it was the symbol of strength to Texas’ Big Bertha. It was also a crowd-pleaser and gets the crowd into the game. It is part of the show, just like Marching Mizzou, the Golden Girls, the Cannon Crew, the cheerleaders and everyone else who makes the atmosphere of the game.”
Getting a new, bigger drum with MU’s move to the Southeastern Conference is excellent timing, Champlin said. But the condition of the current Big MO has more to do with getting the new drum than the switch to the SEC.
“The reason for getting a new Big MO has to do with damage done to it over the years,” Champlin said. “It would have been too costly to repair it, so we decided to get as many funds from donations as we could to make the biggest drum we could. It was just good timing that it is happening as we are switching conferences, and hopefully it will show the spirit of Mizzou.”
Money to buy the drum came from MU, the Missouri Students Association and other Columbia donators, Champlin said.
“The majority of funds were given through Mizzou and the Missouri Students Association,” Champlin said. “There (were) donations from local businesses and private donations given through the website we put up. It is all paid for now and is being made.”
Fans can expect the new Big MO to excite the crowd at MU football games next season.
“We will for sure have it before the 2012 football season,” Champlin said.