Conquistadors

The Conquistadors drum & bugle corps was founded in March of 1970 and was under the original direction of Bill West as the only corps from the northern Peninsula. They were sponsored by the Bernard McCafferty American Legion (AL) Post 85 and the VFW Post 4103 of San Francisco.

In their inaugural season, sporting red, black and white uniforms, the corps competed at the CA State Open championships, placing 5^th in the “Class B” division and progressed over the 1971 season, placing 3^rd in the 1972 CA State Open “Class B” contest. The Conquistadors moved up to “Class A” competition in 1973, finishing in 5^th position in the Northern CA circuit championships.

In 1974, as new members of the newly formed Drum Corps West (DCW) circuit, the group placed 14^th in the preliminaries, participating the following year in the 1975 VFW Nationals, where they finished in 8^th place in the finals. They also placed 8^th in the DCW championships and a 2^nd place finish in the Northern CA circuit “Class B” championships.

The Conquistadors competed at the 1976 AL Nationals, placing 7^th in the finals and 13^th position in the DCW prelims before participating in their first DCI “Class A” championship in 1977, finishing 8^th in the preliminary round and 6^th in the DCW finals. Over the next two seasons, the unit was a DCI “Class A” finalist, placing 6^th in 1978 and 3^rd in 1979. They moved
up to “Open Class” competition in 1980, traveling on tour that saw them participate in the prelims of the US Open (13^th), the American International Open (AIO), placing 16^th and the DCI East, where they finished 21^st. The corps concluded the year in the DCI championships, finishing in 34^th.

They remained active as a parade and exhibition group for the 1981 season and returned to the field of “Class A” competition in 1982, resuming a complete tour over the next 3 years, where they took part in the Key to the Sea Open prelims (15^th -1982, 17^th - 1983 and 20^th - 1984), the AIO (21^st - 1982 prelims and 9^th -1983 finals), the US Open prelims (21^st - 1982, 13^th - 1983 and 17^th - 1984) and the 1983 DCI Midwest, placing 11^th in the “Class A” contest.

The corps returned to parade status in 1985 before disbanding in 1986.  

Paul Legault (DCX)

CORPS 7 items

Conquistadors

Conquistadors Jacket from the Bill Ives Collection Contributed by Tyrone Laval

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Conquistadors

Conquistadors Jacket from the Bill Ives Collection Contributed by Tyrone Laval

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Conquistadors

Conquistadors Jacket from the Bill Ives Collection Contributed by Tyrone Laval

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Conquistadors

Conquistadors,SanFrancisco,CA,BT1-EzraBrooks(Site)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

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Conquistadors

Conquistadors,SanFrancisco,CA,Patch1-1983-Member(DPMFT)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection Contributed by DCI Patches, Medals, Flags and Trophies

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Conquistadors

Conquistadors,SanFrancisco,CA,Pin1-SouthSanFrancisco(RE-2.5)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

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Conquistadors

Conquistadors,SanFrancisco,CA,Pin2-NorthSanMateoCo(BJA)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection

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