Defenders

The Defenders drum and bugle corps was originally formed in the summer of 1957 as the Rockland Rebels girls drill team and sponsored by the Holy Family Catholic church, under the leadership of Monsignor Cassidy.

The following season saw the corps convert to the Rebels drum and bugle corps as they competed in the 1958 Archdiocese Music Festival, placing 2^nd in their division by a mere one-tenth of a point. At the urging of its sponsor, the corps was renamed the Holy Family Defenders in 1959 and joined the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), where they finished in 2^nd place in the “Junior Division”. Like many other drum corps, the local Catholic parish corps, competed in the Eastern Massachusetts (E-Mass) and CYO circuits in the greater Boston area and rose steadily through the ranks of the local competitive circuits.

The Defenders began competing in the CYO “Class C” circuit, winning the 1960 title and moved up to the CYO “Class A-2”, aka “Class B” division, finishing in 2^nd position in the 1961 championships. The corps experienced their greatest success as a “Class A-2” and “Class B” member to date as they won both the 1962 E-Mass and CYO respective titles. In 1963, they reached the top and competed in “Class A” for three years, but dismal results, they placed 5^th in both circuits in 1964, forced a return to “Class B” in 1966, where the corps' efforts was again met with success. The Holy Family unit also appeared in National competition for the first time, placing 23^rd in the preliminaries of the 1964 VFW Nationals.

In 1966, the corps placed 4^th in the CYO “Class B” finals and for the second time in their brief history, won both the 1967 CYO “Class B” and E-Mass “Class A-2” titles. In 1968, turmoil within the management of the corps in mid-July caused friction as the corps struggled to the finish in the CYO “Class B” championships, placing 5^th, improving to a 3^rd place finish the following season in the 1969 “Class B” annual contest. In the summer of 1970, the Holy Family Defenders once again took to the competition field in the local circuits as a “Junior Class” corps in the CYO circuit. Sixteen brass and 12 percussion made up the musical sections as they placed 3^rd in their division. The following year saw the corps improve to a 2^nd place finish in the 1971 CYO “Junior Class” and a 5^th position in the E-Mass “Class C” division.  

Starting in the early 70’s, under the leadership of Al King, the management recruited a diverse staff of experienced instructors like Ed Denon and Joe Caset, as well as a group of talented unknowns like Jerry Hicket, Mary Berkley, Steve Dorgan and home-grown Kevin Shea, the corps' identity and direction were notably different. Over the years, many up-and-coming instructors would have an impact on the corps' success. Names like Neil Smith, Don McTaggart, George Zingali, Steve Covitz, Peggy Twiggs, John Sullivan, Vinn Radford, and Dale Powers contributed significantly to the Defenders' consistent improvement.

This combination of experience and youth in instructors helped formulate the corps' fundamental philosophy that would prove to be the reason for this "hick town" corps' success. The difference between the new Defenders and the old was that winning was never set as THE goal to attain. The focus was on perfecting the details that contribute to the overall image, the winning would ultimately take care of itself. This attention to detail was the reason for the squeaky-clean image the corps portrayed throughout the 1970s.

In 1972, the Holy Family unit participated in their first World Open championship, placing 21^st in the “Class B” prelims along with capturing the CYO “Prep” title and finishing 3^rd in the E-Mass “Class C” division. The following season, the Defenders climbed all the way up to a finalist position in the 1973 World Open “Class B” contest, placing 8^th and added two titles to their pedigree, winning the CYO “Prep” and E-Mass “Class A-2” championships.

In 1974, the corps began competing more outside of local circuits, moving up to the “Class A” division. Although the majority of the corps was still from the greater Rockland area, a steady influx of members from outside was beginning to have an impact. Also, during this period, a combination of philosophical differences, less financial support from the parish, and a need for greater autonomy put a strain on the relationship between corps management and the parish. That year, the corps made their first appearance in the Drum Corps International (DCI) championships, finishing 52^nd in the preliminaries along with a 24^th place finish in the World Open prelims, a 12^th place position in the prestigious CYO Nationals and a 2^nd place finish in the CYO “Senior” contest.

The corps returned to the 1975 DCI championships, improving to 44^th in the “Open Class” division prelims and a 19^th place finish in the World Open “Class A” prelims. They concluded the season with 2^nd place finishes in both the CYO “Senior” and E-Mass “Class A-1” championships. For the 2^nd time in the history, the Holy Family Defenders competed in the VFW Nationals, where they placed 22^nd in the preliminary round in 1976, repeating their 2^nd place finish in the E-Mass “Class A-1” contest to go along with a 4^th place finish in the CYO “Senior” class.

During the winter of 1976-77, the corps severed its relationship with the parish and took on the new name the Defenders of Plymouth County. This name change signified more than just a new identity. It represented independence as well as a commitment to a new direction. Over the next several years, the Defenders would entertain audiences in every state east of the Rockies. During this travel, it was not uncommon to pick up new members along the way to fill in the blanks. These new out-of-state members were attracted to the corps by its clean image and the strong sense of family that was evident even to the casual onlooker. New members often offered reasons for jumping on board like "They were entertaining"; "They looked like they enjoy one another;" and "They know how to have fun".

One of the more memorable times the corps experienced was when it made the World Open “Class A” finals for the first time in 1977, in which they finished 10^th and the US Open
“Open Class” finals, placing 11^th. They also participated in their second invitation to the CYO Nationals, finishing in 12^th position as well placing 2^nd in the CYO “Senior” and E-Mass “Class A-1” competitions. The corps returned to the 1978 DCI championships, placing 33^rd in the “Open Class” prelims and once again qualified for the World Open “Class A” finals, finishing 9^th. In what had become a renewed appearance, the corps placed 13^th in the CYO Nationals, appeared in the DCI East prelims, placing 25^th and repeated as bridesmaid in the CYO “Senior” and E-Mass “Class A-1” championships.

In 1979, the Plymouth County group had increased its presence within the “Open Class” activity, finishing 27^th in the DCI prelims and qualified for the finals in the DCI Canada (11^th), the DCI North (9^th), the Drum Corps East (DCE), placing 9^th and the World Open (7^th). They also were crowned the CYO “Senior” champions to go along with a 2^nd place finish in the E-Mass “Class A-1” division. The corps continued its progression with an 18^th place finish in the 1980 DCI “Open Class” championships and finished with their highest ranking in World Open competition, placing 3^rd in the “Class
A” finals and 7^th in the DCE championships. They made their last appearance in the CYO Nationals, placing 9^th and defended their CYO “Senior” crown along with yet another 2^nd place finish in the E-Mass circuit.

The 1981 season would arguably be recognized as the corps’ most successful year of competition as they finished in 17^th position in the DCI “Open Class” championships and gained a finalist spot in the DCI Canada (6^th), DCI North (6^th), DCI East (10^th) and DCE (7^th) championships. They also participated in the DCI Midwest regionals, placing 19^th in the prelims and finally were awarded the E-Mass circuit “Class A-1” title, after several attempts over the years. In their last season of competition, the Defenders enjoyed another solid year, placing 20^th in the DCI “Open Class” preliminaries along with another string of finalist performances that included the US Open (7^th), Key to the Sea (6^th), the World Open (6^th), DCE (6^th) and DCI East (10^th). They also appeared in the CYO Nationals, finishing in 10^th position and the DCI Midwest prelims, placing 17^th.

In the winter of 1982-1983, after falling short of their expectation of breaking into the elite “Top 12”, the corps membership was at an all-time low and they were deeply in debt. The corps' management made the difficult decision to disband in 1983.

Twenty-five years later, the Defenders Alumni Association was formed and the drum corps returned to the field and stage to once again perform in exhibition from 2008 to 2015. The following years, from 2016 to 2021, excluding the Covid year in 2020, the unit was converted to a “Concert Corps” and continued to entertain as they had from their humble beginnings in 1957. 

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