In 1972, Drum Corps International crowned its first DCI Champion.
The Anaheim Kingsmen vaulted from 3rd to 1st in the Finals at the inaugural DCI Championships in Whitewater, WI to claim the crown. Since then, hundreds of corps have taken the field in search of a championship, but only 9 have brought home a title.
Could this be the year when a 10th corps finally joins the championship ranks?
Headed into Finals week, the corps with the best chance of breaking into the championship elite are the Bluecoats from Canton, Ohio.
The Bluecoats have already captured wins at the DCI Southwestern Championship in San Antonio and at the DCI Atlanta Southeastern in Atlanta. Both wins are first in Bluecoats history.
The most recent addition to the DCI Champions club, Carolina Crown, and the winningest program in DCI history, the Blue Devils, were both less than a point away from the Bluecoats in San Antonio and Atlanta.
Bluecoats would be only the 2nd new champion crowned since 1996 after the Carolina Crown ended that streak in 2013. It would also end the Blue Devils attempt to become the 3rd corps to complete a three-peat as World Champions. Only the 83, 84, and 85, Cadets (known as the Garfield Cadets) and the 00, 01, and 02 Cavaliers have successfully won 3 titles in a row.
This isn't the first time the Blue Devils have been within grasp of a three-peat. They captured back-to-back titles on 4 separate occasions in 76-77, 79-80, 96-97, and in 09-10.
Last year, Blue Devils won their 17th Championship in dramatic fashion after finishing in 4th place after their prelims performance. They jumped to 2nd in semi-finals, then overtook Carolina Crown to win at Finals.
Carolina Crown and Blue Devils won't make it easy for the Bluecoats to join the champion's club, but this might be the year an outside corps has the best shot of grabbing the gold.
The Anaheim Kingsmen vaulted from 3rd to 1st in the Finals at the inaugural DCI Championships in Whitewater, WI to claim the crown. Since then, hundreds of corps have taken the field in search of a championship, but only 9 have brought home a title.
Could this be the year when a 10th corps finally joins the championship ranks?
Headed into Finals week, the corps with the best chance of breaking into the championship elite are the Bluecoats from Canton, Ohio.
The Bluecoats have already captured wins at the DCI Southwestern Championship in San Antonio and at the DCI Atlanta Southeastern in Atlanta. Both wins are first in Bluecoats history.
The most recent addition to the DCI Champions club, Carolina Crown, and the winningest program in DCI history, the Blue Devils, were both less than a point away from the Bluecoats in San Antonio and Atlanta.
| San Antonio - 7/23/2016 | Atlanta - 7/30/2016 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bluecoats | 87.063 | 1. Bluecoats | 91.712 |
| 2. Carolina Crown | 86.787 | 2. Blue Devils | 91.488 |
| 3. Blue Devils | 86.35 | 3. Carolina Crown | 90.875 |
Bluecoats would be only the 2nd new champion crowned since 1996 after the Carolina Crown ended that streak in 2013. It would also end the Blue Devils attempt to become the 3rd corps to complete a three-peat as World Champions. Only the 83, 84, and 85, Cadets (known as the Garfield Cadets) and the 00, 01, and 02 Cavaliers have successfully won 3 titles in a row.
This isn't the first time the Blue Devils have been within grasp of a three-peat. They captured back-to-back titles on 4 separate occasions in 76-77, 79-80, 96-97, and in 09-10.
Last year, Blue Devils won their 17th Championship in dramatic fashion after finishing in 4th place after their prelims performance. They jumped to 2nd in semi-finals, then overtook Carolina Crown to win at Finals.
Carolina Crown and Blue Devils won't make it easy for the Bluecoats to join the champion's club, but this might be the year an outside corps has the best shot of grabbing the gold.