Michael Leckrone

On August 25, 2018, Leckrone announced his plans to retire after the 2018-2019 academic year.

Leckrone grew up in North Manchester, Indiana. His father, Harold Leckrone, was the high school band teacher, but never pressured his son to follow in his professional footsteps, which included a contribution to the score of the 1986 film Hoosiers. Instead, Leckrone entertained thoughts of becoming anything from a basketball coach to a chemical engineer.

In 1975, Leckrone created the Varsity Band's Annual Spring Concert. The first show had a crowd of only 450; now there are three concerts each spring before 25,000 fans at the Kohl Center. The concert marks the final performance for the band each year.

A native of Indiana, Leckrone received his bachelor and masters of music at Butler University where he played basketball his freshman year, backing up Bobby Plump, who was the real life hero on whom the character Jimmy Chitwood in the movie Hoosiers was based. He then studied at the doctoral level at Indiana University. He eventually became the director of bands for three years at his alma mater, Butler University. In 1969, he became the director of the marching band at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has composed and arranged many pieces, and over 200 of his compositions for marching and concert bands have been published.

Michael “Mike” Leckrone (born July 30, 1936) was the director of the University of Wisconsin Marching Band from 1969 to 2019. He is noted for his extraordinary ability to remember the names of all the past and present members of the band, as well as where they were from, and what instrument they played.