Crusaders

In the fall of 1969, amidst tears, the Michael Power Knights announced that it was folding. The headline of the Michael Power High School newspaper read “Knights Gone”. Vic Lang, the father of 3 boys, Mike, Rick and Dave, spearheaded an effort to start up a new corps immediately. The new corps was named the Etobicoke Crusaders.

The executive worked to secure instruments, an equipment truck and some used uniforms from Chessmen in St. Catharines which had recently folded. The uniform was an exact replica of a little known corps called the Phantom Regiment. The first performance of the Crusaders was at a Remembrance Day ceremony in November 1969. Over that, the members and executive worked hard to recruit and raise funds so that they could field a viable unit in the summer of 1970. 

The corps was fairly young in age, with members from the age of 10 to 19, but was determined to grow and improve. In their first year of competition, the Etobicoke unit placed 8^th in the Provincial “Class B” preliminaries and participated in the Canadian Nationals “Class B” prelims as well. The following season saw the corps greatly improve in “Class B” competition, as they finished 2^nd in the Provincials on their way to a 3^rd place finish at the Canadian Nationals along with 4^th position in the Western Ontario circuit championships and a 9^th place finish in the Canadian Open preliminaries. At that time, Bill Strong and John Arbow were the equipment managers that helped keep the corps on the road.

The corps continued to steadily rise under the new direction of Bob Duggan, touring for the first time in the 1972 US Open “Class A” championships, with an impressive 2^nd place finish in the finals. They went on to win both the Western Ontario circuit and Canadian Nationals “Class B” championships, defending both titles the next year, adding the 1973 “Junior B” International circuit championships trophy. They also went on an extensive tour, returning to the 1973 US Open “Class A” finals, once again placing 2^nd; the American International Open (AIO) with a 2^nd place finish and appeared in the Key to the Sea “Open Class” finals, where they placed 6^th. 

In 1974, the Crusaders graduated to the “Open Class” division, competing in the prelims of the AIO (17^th), Key to the Sea (18^th) and the US Open (13^th), participated in the DCI North contest, finishing 8^th and culminated the year with a 3^rd place finish in the Canadian Nationals, placing 3^rd in “Class A”.

In February of 1975, Bob Duggan announced that De La Salle Oaklands would be merging with the Etobicoke Crusaders and the new corps would compete in the summer of 1975 as the Oakland Crusaders.

Dave Strickler; rec.arts.marching.drumcorps, RDeschene@recorder.ca, 8/21/98; Paul Legault (DCX)

CORPS 6 items

Crusaders

Etobicoke Crusaders Button from the Bob Carell Collection

Crusaders

Etobicoke Crusaders button 2 from the Bob Carell Collection

Crusaders

EtobicokeCrusaders,Etobicoke,ON,Patch1-1972-CanNatChamps(Site)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection Contributed by UNKNOWN

Crusaders

EtobicokeCrusaders,Etobicoke,ON,Patch2-Crest(Site)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection Contributed by UNKNOWN

Crusaders

EtobicokeCrusaders,Etobicoke,ON,Pin1-Shield(BJA-2.5)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

Crusaders

EtobicokeCrusaders,Etobicoke,ON,Pin2(SSO)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

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