Music has always been a significant part of life for Paul Hannan, ‘70, from playing the trombone to performing in bands. Now he hopes to provide more accessibility for current and future music lovers through the La Salle University Pep Band.  

In the seventh grade, Paul Hannan, ‘70, was given a Conn 6H trombone by his parents. Since then, that trombone has accompanied him through four years at La Salle University, NFL gamedays, raising a family, and supporting his alma mater and its basketball programs.  

“Now, later in life, I’m still playing it. I’ve had it refinished a couple of times, but it’s still in great shape,” Hannan, who started trombone lessons in fourth grade, said. “I did get a new case for it, the original one was falling apart.”  

Raised in Washington, D.C., Hannan was accepted to La Salle during his junior year at St. John’s College High School, also a Lasallian institution. When it came time to go to college, Hannan made his way to 20^th and Olney, with his trombone in hand.  

 He was a proud member of the Pep Band, then called the ROTC band, throughout his four years as an Explorer, even continuing to participate when he decided not to stick with ROTC.  

“It was fun to be away from home, meet new people, and do dorm life,” Hannan said. “I had a lot of fun up there, met a lot of neat people.”  

A standout from his time as an Explorer was playing with the band during basketball games at the Palestra, commonly known as “The Cathedral of College Basketball.” Hannan remembers the stark difference between his freshman and sophomore years at the arena when the stadium lighting was upgraded to accommodate color TV broadcasts.  

“We walked into the Palestra sophomore year for the game, and it was like going into a whole new place. You could actually see the stadium, see the floor. It had been that dark before,” he said, adding that Big 5 doubleheaders were particularly exciting. “We made a lot of noise with the band up there.”   

Shortly after he graduated, when Hannan came back to work in the Union at La Salle, he continued playing with the band, as well as helping out backstage with Masque performances.  

And, his love for Explorer basketball never faded. Hannan met his first wife, Kathleen, at La Salle, where she was working in the library, and one of their first dates was at a game.  

After completing a year at the Union, during which he and Kathleen got married, Hannan and his wife moved back to the D.C. area, where they went on to live and raise a family.  

Hannan spent most of his career working for airlines at Dulles International Airport, but he was always certain to make time for music, often rearranging his schedule to ensure he was available for his other commitment: playing in the marching band for Washington D.C.’s NFL team.  

Hannan played in their band B Line from 1974 to 2008, before taking a break for a decade. In 2018, he went back, this time heading up the A Line, and played for two years, before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the city and, by extension, sporting events.  As part of the marching band, Hannan had the opportunity to attend four Super Bowls, three of which his team won.   

Although his instrument and the bands he’s played with have helped Hannan create many good memories, they’ve also been with him throughout more trying times.  

Kathleen sadly passed away in 2004. He met his second wife, Patty, in a widower’s group and they got married in 2007. Four years into their marriage, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and passed away in 2022.  

“If I’m playing music, I play loud,” Hannan said, adding that he’s always believed that music is good for his mental health. “I play for both Kathy and Patty so they can hear me.”  

Hoping to make this outlet more accessible to students, Hannan, after being put in touch with Turner Gray, DMA, the director of La Salle’s Pep Band, began supporting the program with generous gifts contributing to scholarship support.  

“The Pep Band Scholarship, and more broadly, the Spirit Scholarship that La Salle awards the members of the band, cheer, and dance teams is reflective of the commitment that La Salle has made towards the development of the performing arts. It allows students to be rewarded for their talents while acknowledging students’ commitment towards supporting their peers within athletics,” Gray said. “It is a scholarship that is applied towards students’ tuition and helps make attending school a bit more accessible. I believe that this initiative is, in its purest form, reflective of La Salle University’s core values in supporting students so that they can be known for more.”  

Hannan’s desire to help the Pep Band was a big support for Gray, who joined the Explorer community in 2024, and was tasked with reviving the group. At his first basketball game, there were only six musicians. Fast forward a year later, with a lot of hard work behind the scenes, the first game of his second season had 30 band members from all facets of the La Salle community, including students, faculty, Christian Brothers, and staff.  

“We provide the sights, sounds, and entertainment for the basketball games mostly, but not exclusively,” Gray said. “We are the soundtrack to the athletics programs here on campus and beyond.”    

Gray welcomes anyone into his band, whether they’ve been playing an instrument their whole life or have never picked one up before.  

“Here at La Salle, I operate on anyone that wants to play, and whatever you play, we’ll find a place for you,” he said.    

Hannan has even joined the band on two occasions. In 2025, he came back to 20^th and Olney and played both games in a men’s and women’s double header. He’s also joined the Explorers on the road, meeting them in Virginia to play for a win during the 2026 women’s A10 Basketball Tournament game.  

 Hannan played his trombone alongside band members including Dezlen Long, ‘27, the band’s principal trumpet player, and Rahmeaun Rahming, assistant director of operations in admissions at La Salle and a fellow trombone player. 

Like Hannan, Long and Rahming both count playing big basketball games as a highlight of their time with the band. In December, they had the opportunity to play a Big 5 game at Xfinity Mobile Arena.  

“I had never been to the arena before,” Long said. “It was surreal being able to walk on the court and play practically courtside.”    

Despite only making guest appearances with La Salle’s band, Hannan continues to play his trombone with George Mason University’s Green Machine. Even in Fairfax, Va., though, he’s still an Explorer.  

“When La Salle comes to town, I root for La Salle when I’m standing in the George Mason stand,” he said.  

Whatever school he’s playing for, Hannan believes in the importance of live music at sporting events.  

“The band is an integral part of the game,” he said, adding that cheer and dance teams are also a part of that. “It just makes the game go better and faster and be more fun when you have a good musical selection and the cheer team and the dance team out there.”  

At La Salle, the members of the Pep Band feel the same way.  

“We’ve gotten plenty of positive feedback from coaches and players alike that they really enjoy the energy the band, cheer, and dance bring to the games,” Rahming said. “It’s pretty fun to see the momentum of a game begin to shift out of our favor and us being able to tilt it back with cheers and music.” 

In only its second year, the basketball teams are already feeling the positive impact of the Pep Band.  

“Our team feeds off the band’s energy during every home game,” Mountain MacGillivray, head coach of La Salle women’s basketball team, said. “Turner and his group create a home court advantage for us, and our players and staff appreciate their fantastic effort—their growth over the last two years has been amazing.” 

Darris Nichols, head coach of the men’s basketball team, also sees it.  

“The band is a huge part of our gameday atmosphere and one of the traditions that makes college basketball so great,” he said. “Turner has done an unbelievable job growing his program.” 

On top of adding to the excitement and atmosphere, the band does have another role.  

“We also, I like to joke, are the primary hecklers at the game,” Long said. “You’ll often hear us yelling at the opposing team in an attempt to throw them off their game, especially during basketball free throws.”   

Hannan appreciates the friendly rivalry and taunts between the bands, saying that the Explorers “had a good sense of humor” when he joined them.  

Looking to the future, everyone involved hopes to see La Salle’s Pep Band continue to grow and flourish.  

“I hope that we continue to be a vital part of the La Salle athletic community,” Long said. “The sheer amount of praise that we get from students, faculty, and alumni is enough to tell me that we have become a valued and appreciated member of the Explorer community.”    

As well as growing in size, Gray also wants the band to remain a place for Explorers to play the instruments and music that they love. And they’re the ones that will make it possible.  

“My students make this possible; every day they give me purpose,” Gray said. “They just work really hard and they want this to be something that outlives them as well.” 

For Hannan, it’s about the impact a larger band could have during games.  

“They’re doing great with the numbers that they have,” he said. “But if we could get it up to 40, we could really put some sound out.”  

But beyond that, he hopes that Explorer musicians get as much from music as he has, and that his continued support helps to do that.  

“It just gives you a different type of day when you can play some music,” he said. “It makes it better.”

— Naomi Thomas