Air Force band couldn’t make the Armed Forces Bowl. A Fort Worth marching band stepped up

Opportunity often comes knocking when you least expect it.

Kevin Fallon got the call barely a week ago to see if his Boswell Band of Gold would be available for the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Thursday.

“I’m not sure who made the recommendation. I’m not sure how many schools they reached out to,” said Fallon, Boswell’s band director. “I think that when the Air Force realized that their band wasn’t going to be able to make it to the game, they just started asking around about bands in Fort Worth.”

It was a no-brainer, as far as Fallon was concerned.

“Of course, we answered the call,” he said.

That was all before the polar vortex had something to say about the weather in North Texas.

Accepting the invitation now means being at Amon G. Carter Stadium with the temperature expected to be 18 degrees when Baylor and Air Force kick off at 6:30 p.m. Wind chills will be as low as minus-15 after a cold front barrels through, according to the National Weather Service.

“I made sure I had at least three layers for every part of my body,” said senior trumpet player Karla Fuentes. “I also ran to Walmart with my mom the night before to pick up hand warmers for my family and I.”

Getting the band together

Fallon had to quickly rally his kids and their families. He knew many were preparing to skip town for the holiday. He needed to take a headcount.

For those leaving town, he told them not to change their travel plans.

Still, more than 140 kids said they’d be there.

“I want them to have a blast and of course it’s gonna be really cold,” he said. “So, we’re taking many safety precautions.”

For starters, Fallon said he bought the kids wind- and water-resistant jackets that are “a size and a half too big” to accommodate the layers of clothing needed to stay warm.

“Our marching band uniform is made for the hot Texas summer and fall,” he said by way of an explanation. “So, it’s not very thick or insulated.”

Parents and band boosters also chipped in, buying hundreds of hand warmers. Fallon said he is counting on the stadium having warming stations.

If that doesn’t get the kids warmed up, he said, retreating back to the coaches is always an option.

This was not a hard sell

This was not a hard sell for Fallon. It was a great opportunity to be part of something special.

“We told (our kids) that when you’re in a college program you kind of spend your whole season hoping to garner an invitation to a bowl game, that it’s kind of the big culminating event of your year,” he said. “It would be a really rare and unique opportunity for them as high school students to be in this position.”

Class 6A Boswell High School is part of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District. It is seven miles north of downtown Fort Worth in the northwest corner of Tarrant County.

“It’s not everyday that your band gets to go to a bowl game, let alone play in one,” said senior tuba player Connor Campbell.

The 17-year-old also played tackle for the Pioneer football team — earning 2nd team All-District honors this season.

“It’s a great honor and we are all looking forward for a great time tonight,” Campbell said.

Freshman Daniel Navarrette was practically gushing about performing at the bowl game: “For freshmen, like me, to sit in for an incredible band such as Air Force. I also am really banking on the adrenaline for such a fun game to keep my spirits high, and provide hype for the team.”

As far as Fallon knows, this is the first time a Boswell marching band has been a part of a college football bowl game. He’s been the director of the band the past five years, and was an assistant for three years before taking the helm.

The affable music teacher with a long black beard with streaks of gray plays the tuba.

“When you’re a music teacher, you prepare in college to learn all the instruments, and I play all of the instruments with a level of proficiency,” he said.

Thursday he will be tuned in to how his students fare — in their performance and in the cold.

“I just want them to have a great time. It’s a huge honor for them to be there representing our school and our community and to be there representing the Air Force (academy).”

This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 1:13 PM.