William Sugg
William Sugg, who has more than 15 years of experience in music education at the secondary and university levels with competitive and high-profile marching programs, has been named director of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Marching Band and associate director of Bands. Sugg has served as the interim director of the Marching Band since August 2025.
Sugg, of Jeannette, is originally from Tennessee. Prior to his appointment at IUP, he served as assistant director of bands at the University of Pittsburgh, where he conducted and coordinated all facets of a 300-member program encompassing the varsity marching band, basketball pep bands, volleyball band, and symphonic band across more than 50 performances a year.
His work at the University of Pittsburgh included logistical coordination for high-profile national performances, implementation of advanced program management systems, and improvement of cultural influences on student well-being.
“We are thrilled that Dr. Sugg will continue to lead the IUP Marching Band, ‘The Legend,’ in a tenure-track role,” Dean of IUP’s College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs Emily Rutter said. “Dr. Sugg not only brings extensive experience but also enthusiasm and a holistic approach to IUP students’ ensemble experience. With Dr. Sugg at the helm, we are confident that ‘The Legend’ will continue to be the pride of IUP and the Indiana community.”
IUP Marching Band leadership camp begins August 10; full band camp begins August 13. The band’s first performance for the 2026–27 academic year under Sugg’s direction is the fall “Fantasy Parade” at Kennywood on August 17.
“What struck me right away was how much ownership these students take in this program—they know who they are and what being in ‘The Legend’ means to them, and they were generous enough to share that meaning with me,” Sugg said. “They engaged with me from day one, and we clicked almost immediately. The opportunity to work with them this year showed me that this is a community I could see myself being part of for years to come, and I’m grateful IUP has given me the chance to do that.”
Prior to his work at the University of Pittsburgh, Sugg was codirector of bands at Downers Grove South High School in suburban Chicago. There, he helped lead the program through the challenges of pandemic-era instruction using an innovative approach to ensemble performance, resulting in an Emmy Award-winning virtual marching band production.
He also served as director of bands and chair of fine arts at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet School in Nashville, Tennessee, where he led one of the state’s most comprehensive music programs—serving nearly 400 students across nine ensembles—earning invitations to perform at the Tennessee state conference in addition to national recognition for student and ensemble achievement.
Sugg earned his doctor of musical arts and master of music degrees in wind band conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, where he was involved in every facet of the band program, including teaching conducting courses and conducting the Illinois Wind Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Marching Illini, and Basketball Bands. He completed his undergraduate degree in music education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he was named the Outstanding Graduate in Music Education.
Throughout his career, Sugg has remained an active clinician, adjudicator, and conductor.
Around 180 students are part of the IUP Marching Band, including color guard, majorettes, and the dance team. The Marching Band is open to all IUP students, and there are many non-music majors as well as music majors in the band.
“The Legend” celebrated its one-hundredth anniversary in 2021 and held a one-hundredth-anniversary celebration in fall 2022, which included close to 900 band alumni returning to campus. Sugg also directed a special IUP Marching Band “Friends and Family” concert in August 2025 in celebration of IUP’s sesquicentennial kickoff.
The IUP Marching Band was formed in 1921 under conductor D. O. Slyker and had 60 members. It gave its first (non-marching) performance in May 1922. Its second director was E. F. Sullivan, who served as the director of band and instructor in band music from 1923 to 1935, when Lawrence Stitt took over the band director position. He was in that role from 1935 to 1938. Under his leadership, band uniforms were purchased for the first time (in 1936), and in 1937, the band became an all-male unit.
Under the leadership of Irving Cheyette (director from 1937 to 1947), the band resumed admitting female members; there was no band in 1943 and 1944 because of World War II, but it was reorganized in 1945.
Although they had appeared as early as 1940, the first squad of majorettes was officially organized in 1947. When C. David McNaughton took over the band in 1948, he eliminated the majorettes and instructed the band in more marching drills.
In 1960, Daniel DiCicco, one of McNaughton’s former students, became marching band director. During DiCicco’s direction, the marching unit was asked to appear at half-time shows during Baltimore Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers football games.
In the early 1970s, directorship changed hands from Richard Knab to Frank Dillard and finally to Charles Casavant in 1976. Casavant, the son of Albert Casavant, an internationally known field technician in marching bands, brought the organization to one of its highest levels of spirit and pride. The marching band became nicknamed “The Legend” and “The Beast of the East” during Casavant’s tenure.
Under Casavant’s leadership, the IUP band reactivated the philosophy of combining entertaining performances with educational experiences.
In 1987, the ensemble was selected as the official band at the US Constitution Bicentennial Celebration. The attention IUP received there led to an invitation from Jacques Chirac, the then-mayor of Paris, to perform at the America’s Day celebration of the French Bicentennial in the summer of 1989.
In September 1989, The Legend toured Washington, DC, with performances on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home. In 1996, IUP made its debut performance at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, performing not only in the parade but also putting on a show in front of the Statue of Liberty.
Casavant completed 25 years as director in 2000. David Martynuik joined the band in 2001 as its new director and continued in that role until fall 2021, when Nevin Saylor, a 1980 IUP graduate with more than 34 years of experience as a music teacher and band director, was selected as the interim IUP marching band director, serving in that role until Zach Cheever was selected as director in 2022. Cheever held that position until July 2024. Cassidy Nalepa, a 2003 IUP music education graduate, served as interim director of the IUP Marching Band and as interim associate director of Bands from August 2024 to July 2025.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the commonwealth.