OHIO Giving Day: Support for the Marching 110

While Chris McMurray, ’75, has visited her alma mater many times over the last 40 years, she and her husband Randy, a retired band director, came to the Athens campus this fall with a mission: to catch a Marching 110 practice before a home game.

“I want my husband to see how amazing the [Marching] 110 is,” McMurray said.

During her time at OHIO, McMurray and her friends attended the games to support the team, but the true highlight of those days was seeing the Marching 110, known then as the 110 Marching Men of Ohio.

Returning to campus in 2024, experiencing the 110 again took her down memory lane.

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Both of McMurray’s parents attended Ohio University, but her decision to attend was her own. It took a weekend visit to experience the campus herself and after that, she never applied to another school. Ohio University it was.

By the end of her sophomore year, McMurray still hadn’t decided on a major. Amid rising pressure from her father, she and her college roommate flipped through the college catalog to narrow down her options. She landed on communication and scheduled time with College of Communication Founding Dean John R. Wilhelm. He asked why she wanted into the program. She responded by telling him she wanted to be the first female Johnny Carson.

“OK,” he replied. “You’re in.”

Chris fondly remembers Professor Arthur “Dutch” Savage, who taught courses in management, marketing and sales. She credits his teachings with setting her career off in the right path. “He really prepared us for a career in a way that I don't know other colleges did back in the day.” 

By the time she graduated, Chris could decipher and analyze data using a tool known as Arbitron (now known as Nielsen Audio).

She started her career at WRFD radio station in Columbus, Ohio, where she had interned during her senior year. She started selling radio advertising then quickly moving from sales to sales management; she eventually became general sales manager. This ultimately took her to Dallas in 1991 where she became general manager.

By the early 2000s, she transitioned out of day-to-day operations into a unique role spearheading move ins and upgrades, which allowed stations to move into major marketing their engineering changes.  Prior to retirement, she worked with private equity and venture capital firms that had investments in radio – helping turn them around and make them profitable.

A modern facility for today’s Marching 110

Soon, for the first time the “Most Exciting Band in the Land” will have a new, state-of-the-art practice facility to call home. The new Marching 110 Band Complex, featuring Hurley Field, promises to be the pinnacle of its kind within the Mid-American Conference and will boast state-of-the-art features tailored specifically for the needs of the Marching 110.

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Over dinner with band director Richard Suk at her fall visit, McMurray learned more about the practice facility and how it would support the students’ development as musicians. She was inspired.

“Ricky’s level of passion is extremely contagious,” McMurray said.

McMurray has committed a major gift to support the band practice facility project, which she describes as “not a stopping but a jumping-off point.” She knows many of her fellow classmates and friends have the same memories of and fondness for the 110. Not just that – there are decades of alumni who share in her fandom for the “Most Exciting Band in the Land.”

OHIO Giving Day 2025 is just a few weeks – but you don’t have to wait until April 2 to make your gift. You can make a gift TODAY to whatever fund, opportunity or purpose to count toward Giving Day. Visit OHIO Giving Day 2025 site to make an early gift or become a Giving Day Advocate. We’ve got some fun incentives early donors!

(Or, you can join Chris in making a gift to Marching 110 Band Practice Facility!)