As Artillery Band Drum Major of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, William O‘Gorman led with
precision, discipline, and a devotion to deep tradition. Today, those same values shape his work
here at Datamax. We look at how his unique journey continues to inspire excellence.
Then, into the second phase of the cadence. BOOM! That same rhythm meets the head of the snares in a sudden fortissimo.
The crowd’s ears peel back at the sound of the syncopation. The thunderous crack of the snares evokes an emotional, gut-deep fervor that words can’t do justice to. This was the moment in time that makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention still today.
“The whole quad would go ‘Whoop!” For me? That was it. It’s football time. The show was on.”
DFW-based Technology Specialist William O’Gorman was eight the first time he saw the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, often described as “The Noble men of Kyle.” Unlike most collegiate marching bands, they’re a military-style marching band, known for their precision drills and straight-line formations rather than the show-band style seen elsewhere. They also have a distinct military heritage as being part of the university’s Corps of Cadets, and represent unmatched precision and unrelenting scale and power, with over 300 members marching in perfect synchronization at commanding volumes.
That performance never left him. By the time he was in High School at Nolan Catholic in Fort Worth, he was already absorbed by the sense of pride that came with a collective band unity. His parents were both Aggies, but never pushed the school on their children. Still, William wanted to sense that sense of unity on the grandest scales possible for collegiate marching bands. So, he took the leap.
Three years later, his Senior Year, William would lead this powerful musical machine onto the field. As Artillery Band Drum Major, William led with precision, discipline, and a respect for deep tradition. What he took from those Saturday evenings at Kyle Field – and the literal countless hours the other six days of the week – are Corps values that still resonate. Today, at Datamax, those same qualities shape how he works, leads, and builds community with his colleagues.
It’s a phrase that could get be cheaply replaced with “unity,” but resonates much deeper. “Esprit de Corps,” or a feeling of pride, fellowship, and common loyalty shared by the members of a particular group. Marching in a 300-member military band left no room for sloppiness. Every detail mattered, from uniforms and formations to the endurance needed to hold a mace through long rehearsals.
“If you’re in front, there’s no hiding. If you miss a beat, everyone misses a beat,” William says. “You have to be sharp, focused, and locked in.”
But beyond the discipline and precision, there was something more powerful — what the band called Esprit de Corps.
“It’s the unity everyone feels and the pride they share,” William explains. “I had felt that sense of pride earlier in high school, but I never had a word for it until then. In the Aggie Band, it became very real.”
He describes watching the Corps of Cadets march together, or feeling the ground shake as hundreds of musicians stepped in perfect sync.
“It’s like standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon — the scale of it just overwhelms you. A large human effort like that is instantly mesmerizing.”
The Aggie Band is built on legacy, and William quickly learned that tradition was a unifying force.
“You always felt like you were part of something bigger than yourself,” he reflects. “The tradition was sacred, and it kept us united. Nobody wanted to let the band down.”
He recalls the intimidation of freshman orientation week, when upperclassmen expected every name to be memorized (using social media was frowned upon greatly), and the pride that came from surviving those early challenges.
“They honed in on one of my greatest weaknesses,” he laughs, “but it’s something that shaped me. To this day, I make it a point to know people by name and make myself accessible.”
In his junior year, he jumped at the opportunity to audition for the role of Drum Major. He checked out the mace – the baton used to signal commands – to practice every day for weeks. After an initial cut, there was a second audition and then a brief interview with current drum majors and band leaders.
“As the Artillery Drum Major, I was to the right of the Command Drum Major, and would move to different parts of the field to help keep the beat. A major challenge for bands of that size in a stadium that loud, ais that the echoing can be huge and disorienting,” he said. “So, band members would keep their eyes fixed on my mace to stay in rhythm while they were playing, regardless of what they might be hearing.”
Becoming Artillery Drum Major wasn’t just about musical leadership. It was about accountability. One role that fell on him was taking attendance: After so many absences, it was on him to issue demerits.
“At first, I was absolutely nuts with issuing demerits,” William admits with a grin. “But once I ironed out the system and got everything in order, it panned out. That’s true in life — if you’re rigorous about working and enforcing, it pays off.”
His wife, also a former member of the Aggie Band, often teases him about the habits he carried forward.
“One tradition within the band was to call everyone 'Mr., Mrs.' She laughs at me because I still sometimes call people ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’ — that was drilled into us as freshmen,” he says.
Meanwhile, those Corps Values? They haven’t shifted even a single beat.
“One of the things I admired most about Datamax, even before working here, was how they fostered that same Esprit de Corps — that sense of unity, pride, and culture,” William says. “It’s something I still admire today, and I do what I can to contribute to it… The Aggie Band demanded your best every single day. That’s something I’ve carried with me ever since.”
And in those quiet moments between projects, that memory pops up again, that cadence in his mind, ready to step off in formation, helps ignite the fervor behind his efforts. It inspires his next contribution to the Esprits de Corps.
RIP-ta-ta-ta … RIP-ta-ta-ta …That’s it. The show’s on.
The Texas A&M Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band’s legendary Four-Way Cross—often called the “impossible drill”—is a breathtaking display of precision marching where band members advance from four different directions and pass within inches of one another at the center of the field in flawless synchronization.
Traditionally performed at the final home football game of the season, this intricate maneuver has become a fan-favorite spectacle, earning its reputation as a feat so complex that early drill-writing software couldn’t even plot it without showing marchers occupying the same space. Its seamless execution embodies the Aggie Band's commitment to discipline, accuracy, and excellence, cementing its place as one of the most iconic and anticipated moments in college marching band history.
Hint: Around the 4:20 mark is where the "Four-Way Cross" really gets going!
Technology Specialist - Dallas/Fort Worth Office
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