Mandarins and Phantom Regiment set record high scores in 2019 for 10th and 12th places respectively. Which finalist corps hold the other records? Take a look back through history in this all-time Top 12 honor roll.
2019 Phantom Regiment | 87.238
2019 Phantom Regiment
Phantom Regiment's “I Am Joan” celebrated the role of strong women in society, inspired by the young Joan of Arc who was sacrificed for being a leader against oppression.
Next-highest 12th-place scores: 2018 Crossmen (86.750), 2014 Crossmen (86.225)
2005 Glassmen | 87.700
2005 Glassmen
Glassmen's “A New World,” which was subtitled “A contemporary setting on themes by Dvořák,” took a new spin on a 112-year-old symphony, with conventional percussion facing off against Latin drums and hip attire worn by the color guard performers further spicing up the production.
Next-highest 11th-place scores: 2014 Madison Scouts (87.575), 2019 Crossmen (87.550)
2019 Mandarins | 89.300
2019 Mandarins
Mandarins' “subTerra” explored a tribal society, hidden underground from the prying eyes of the general public. A lone explorer accidently came upon the subterranean folk and soon lived to regret his discovery.
Next-highest 10th-place scores: 1988 Suncoast Sound (89.100), 2010 Madison Scouts/2014 Boston Crusaders (88.950)
2004 Boston Crusaders | 90.525
2004 Boston Crusaders
Boston Crusaders' “The Composition of Color” began with a clean palette of white before different hues gradually saturated the field, creatively demonstrating that colors could be heard as well as seen.
Next-highest 9th-place scores: 2013 Madison Scouts (90.100), 1992 Blue Knights (90.000)
2010 Blue Stars | 91.900
2010 Blue Stars
Blue Stars' “Houdini” created a sense of urgency and apprehension with hypnotic music. Flags emblazoned with old-fashioned keys taunted the stunt artist as he fought the clock while trying to escape the boxes and straight jackets that filled the field.
Next-highest 8th-place scores: 1992 Phantom Regiment (91.500), 2019 Blue Stars (91.225)
2007 Bluecoats | 94.050
2007 Bluecoats
At various points prior to the 2007 DCI World Championships in Pasadena, Bluecoats had bested every other corps on the field with its “Criminal” production. Especially memorable were color guard members attempting to gingerly crawl through laser beams akin to a "Mission Impossible" movie.
Next-highest 7th-place scores: 1989 Madison Scouts (93.600), 2008 Santa Clara Vanguard (93.025)
1989 Star of Indiana | 95.300
1989 Star of Indiana
The pomp of the British-themed show featuring the music of William Walton and Gustav Holst, placed Star of Indiana in the Top 6 for the first time in the young corps' history. Until leaving the field of competition after the 1993 DCI Tour, the corps finished no lower than third place in any subsequent year.
Next-highest 6th-place scores: 2019 Boston Crusaders (94.488), 2007 Carolina Crown (94.150)
2014 Carolina Crown | 95.675
2014 Carolina Crown
Carolina Crown's space-themed “Out of This World” production came complete with a meteor shower courtesy of Frisbees and members of the trumpet section playing while bouncing on trampolines. At one point of the show, the entire horn line consisted of 60 trumpets and 16 mellophones.
Next-highest 5th-place scores: 2009 Santa Clara Vanguard (95.650), 1989 Cadets of Bergen County (95.600)
2013 Santa Clara Vanguard | 96.850
2013 Santa Clara Vanguard
Santa Clara Vanguard's “Les Misérables” celebrated the popular musical’s continued influence decades after its introduction. The brass line playing from behind the backfield Parisian cityscape, totally hidden from view, created an especially haunting moment.
Next-highest 4th-place scores: 2008 Carolina Crown (96.800), 2019 Carolina Crown (96.563)
1998 Blue Devils | 97.700
1998 Blue Devils
Blue Devils' “One Hand, One Heart” time travelled centuries to introduce the refined Juliet from “Romeo and Juliet” to the streetwise Tony from “West Side Story.”
Next-highest 3rd-place scores: 1984 Santa Clara Vanguard (97.400), 2008 Cavaliers (97.325)
2004 Blue Devils | 98.525
2004 Blue Devils
Blue Devils' “The SummerTrain Blues Mix” scored just 0.175 points under The Cavaliers’ winning “007” show in the first year that amplification of front ensemble instruments was allowed by DCI rules. Saved for its Finals night performance, the show ended with the corps hauling full steam ahead into the stadium tunnel as if an actual train.
Next-highest 2nd-place scores: 1989 Phantom Regiment (98.400), 2019 Bluecoats (98.238)
2014 Blue Devils | 99.650
2014 Blue Devils
Untouchable throughout the 2014 DCI Tour, Blue Devils' “Felliniesque” scored a whopping 2.475 points over second place, capping the corps' record-setting undefeated season.
Next-highest 1st-place scores: 2002 Cavaliers/2005 Cadets (99.150), 2009 Blue Devils (99.050)