Penn State Blue Band’s first-ever female drum major nails flip in opener. Check it out
It’s a year of firsts for the Penn State Blue Band, a student organization that traces its roots to 1899 — and that continued Saturday in the football team’s home opener vs. Nevada.
Ellie Sheehan, a fifth-year student from Hollidaysburg, was announced earlier this summer as the Blue Band’s first-ever female drum major in a history that spans 126 years. And, on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium, Sheehan nailed her first trademark flip of the season.
In front of a packed blue-and-white crowd, Sheehan led the band onto the field during the pregame before taking a running start and then nailing her first forward flip around midfield.
The flip is a longtime tradition of the Blue Band’s drum major, one that goes back about 50 years. In 1971, according to the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, drum major Jeff Robertson became the first to perform a flip to energize the crowd — and, by 1977, the pregame maneuver became so popular it stuck. (When a drum major tried to perform a routine without the flip in the early 1970s, he was booed.)
Sheehan is majoring in marketing with a minor in digital media trends and analytics. Prior to being drum major, she was “a respected leader” in the Blue Band’s piccolo section, according to a Facebook post.
“I’m incredibly honored to serve as the Drum Major of the Penn State Blue Band for this upcoming season,” Sheehan said in the post. “The Blue Band represents the highest levels of tradition, excellence, and pride, and I am humbled to be a part of its history. I am so excited to support the band, build on the Blue Band legacy and represent Penn State with pride.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 4:05 PM.
