The Clay High School Fighting Eagle Marching Band consistently earns top ratings in band festivals throughout the United States, representing Clay High School and Oregon, Ohio with a high level of musical performance. The Clay Band is enriched with pride and has Ohio's largest Alumni Band.
The band "double times" onto the field for every halftime show and performs a new show at each home game. The band has incredible percussion, flag corps, and majorette sections, and is led down the field by a drum major.
Nancy Fox Bricker played the saxophone in a band at Clay, graduated in 1948, and returned four years later to lead the band. Mrs. Bricker built a high quality program and influenced many of her students not only in music, but also in life. One of her students, Charles Neal, graduated from Clay High School in 1957 and went on to BGSU to pursue a degree in Music Education. Mrs. Bricker became ill and her husband assumed the director duties until Mr. Neal was named as director of the Clay Band in 1967.
Mr. Neal continued to build a program of pride, tradition, and excellence until 1999. Under his direction, hundreds of students passed through the Clay Band program and became productive and successful members of society.
In the summer of 1999, one of Chuck Neal's former students, Brian Gyuras, a 1987 Clay Graduate, was appointed as the new director of the Clay High School Band. Mr. Gyuras kept the traditional styles of the Clay Band and extended the tradition of former Clay students directing the Clay High School Fighting Eagle Marching Band.
In the summer of 2019, Mr. Joseph Kuzdzal was appointed as the newest director of the Clay High School Band.
The Clay Alumni Band is Ohio's largest. At every other homecoming, the Alumni Band performs three traditional songs: Basin Street Blues, Georgia on My Mind and, of course, the Clay Fight Song.
Current Staff
Joseph Kuzdzal, Director of Bands
Tyler Lentz, Assistant Director
Katelyn Frohlich, Flag Corps Directors
Jennifer Davis, Majorette Advisor
Kim Corado, Percussion Advisor
Tara Emery, Percussion Advisor
For more information:
Advisor: Mr. Joseph Kuzdzal
Advisor Email: [email protected]