Buckeye State Caballaros

The Buckeye State Caballaros drum & bugle corps was formed in early 1976 through a merger between the Buckeyes and the Caballaros, both from Cleveland, under the direction of Ray Benes.

In their inaugural year, the corps competed as finalists at the American International Open (AIO - 3^rd), the Key to the Sea (3^rd) and the US Open (4^th) “Class A” championships, returning the following year in the “Open Class” to the AIO (12^th - Finals) and US Open (15^th - Prelims) as well as the DCI North championships, placing 12^th in the preliminaries. In 1978, a rebuilding year, the corps returned to the “Class A” division, finishing 13^th at the DCI “Class A” championships and 15^th at the US Open.

Over the next 2 years, they continued their progression as finalists at the AIO (3^rd and 7^th) and US Open (2^nd and 8^th) championships, as well as a 7^th place finish at the 1979 DCI “Class A” championship preliminaries, qualifying as a finalist in 1980, placing 5th. The next two seasons saw the corps jump into DCI “Open Class” competition, placing 41^st (1981) and 45^th (1982), while finishing 14th at the AIO “Open Class” 1981 and 1982 prelims and earning a finalist position at the 1981 US Open (7^th) and 21^st in the 1982 “Open Class” prelims.

The 1983 season was once again a rebuilding year for the corps, performing in the “Class A” prelims at the AIO and US Open (24^th respectively) and Key to the Sea (26^th).   In their final year of “Class A” competition prelims, the Buckeye State Caballaros placed 11^th at the AIO, 21^st at the US Open and 23^rd at the DCI championships.

They disbanded in 1985. The corps sponsored the annual “Drum Corps Fiesta”, initiated by the Cleveland Caballaros in 1973, until 1987.

Paul Legault (DCX)