In the fall of 2001, when the Michigan Marching Band stepped onto the field at the Big House, the familiar spectacle boasted a first: Karen England of Greenville, Michigan, leading as drum major — the first woman to hold the role in the band’s 105-year history.

While Title IX opened the door to female band members in 1972, it took nearly three decades for the marching band to elect a woman as its leader. And England’s selection was no small feat. She auditioned for three years in a row before finally being chosen by her peers her senior year.

“I wanted this more than anything in the world,” England said to Michigan News in 2001. “Over the last few years, I knew I was going to have to make the band my No. 1 priority.”

England reportedly spent months preparing for the season, running stairs at Michigan Stadium, lifting weights, and rehearsing U-M’s signature drum major backbend.

“I am always in excellent shape for the season,” she said.

England, who was an astronomy and astrophysics major at U-M, dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut. But her reaction to becoming U-M’s first female drum major was pretty grounded.

“It was very exciting to make history, but that’s not the reason I tried out,” England told The Michigan Daily in 2001. “To the band, I’m just the drum major.”

In the 24 years since England became the first female drug major at U-M, there have been three other women elected to that role: McKenna Thayer (2016), Kelly Bertoni (2018, 2019) and Rachel Zhang (2022).