A new College Football Hall of Fame exhibit is taking HBCU band culture from the sidelines to center stage, and a HBCU drum major is helping lead the way.
The College Football Hall of Fame is now recognizing Florida A&M University’s first head drum major Oluwamodupe “Dupe” Oloyede, with a permanent display.
“We worked with FAMU’s Dupe Oloyede and Florida A&M University closely to bring a broader college cultural exhibit experience, groundbreaking football game impact, and her historic inclusion in life into a supporting story,” Yomand Brown, vice president of communications at the College Football Hall of Fame, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The recognition comes on the heels of a breakthrough year for Oloyede. Earlier this month, she took the Oscars stage as part of a musical performance tied to the film “Sinners,” combining a joint HBCU drum major routine with a commemorative drum feature set against a futuristic Afrocentric backdrop in Los Angeles.
It was not her first turn in the spotlight. During the spring, Oloyede brought the house down at a Delta Sigma Theta initiation show, performing as a pledged new member while still serving as head drum major—a moment that went viral on social media and further cemented her status as a campus star.
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Her performances with the Marching “100” have drawn millions of views online and generated national coverage, signaling a broader shift in how HBCU band culture is viewed and valued. That shift is now reflected in institutions like the College Football Hall of Fame, where the Drum Major exhibit documents this evolution for fans, students, and future performers.
“If there’s one thing I believe, it’s that my next step is always about love, not fear,” she told the AJC about her approach to the craft.
Elevating HBCU band culture
For many alumni and supporters, the Hall of Fame recognition affirms what HBCU communities have long known about their bands—that they are pillars of campus identity and ambassadors of style, discipline, and tradition.
Oluwamodupe “Dupe” Oloyede’s history-making run as FAMU’s first female head drum major is now being recognized in a College Football Hall of Fame exhibit. pic.twitter.com/1fhmrBUipL
— UATL (@itsuatl) March 20, 2026
The presence of an HBCU drum major in a national exhibit serves as a visual reminder that the culture created in those stands and on those fields belongs in the same conversation as championships and trophies.
“I’m in awe. It has been a really great semester for me,” Oloyede said.
