Carolina Crown names Brannan, Aycock and Register to Hall of Fame

Carolina Crown added Ryan Brannan, Mike Aycock and Bill Register to its Hall of Fame class of 2026, then set their formal honors for NightBEAT in late July at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem. The June 21 announcement landed after TeamCROWN members spent May submitting Letters of Support, turning the selection into a community-backed call on who helped build the corps.

The Hall of Fame process started March 1, when nominations opened for the 2026 class. By the May 31 deadline, TeamCROWN members could submit one Letter of Support per nominee, and the Carolina Crown Hall of Fame Committee was set to review those letters and vote for up to three inductees. Crown describes the Hall as a home for exceptional individuals who made lasting, meaningful impacts and served with Integrity, Excellence, Respect, and Commitment.

Crown first named the 2026 finalists at CrownLIVE on June 20 at Gardner-Webb University, then followed a day later with the final class. That timing ties the Hall of Fame to the corps’ summer calendar instead of treating it like a separate banquet season. NightBEAT is one of Carolina Crown’s biggest public dates, and the corps says the show is among the top events on the Drum Corps International Summer Tour, drawing more than 10,000 fans to Winston-Salem each year. DCI’s ticket listing for NightBEAT 2026 shows reserved seating and individual prices from $37 to $82.

Mike Aycock’s résumé is the clearest window into why this class matters beyond the plaque. USBands says Aycock served as a visual instructor with the East Carolina University Marching Pirates, worked during Carolina Crown’s first season, later joined the Board of Directors and became Assistant Corps Director. That path traces the kind of technique transfer and organizational memory marching programs live on, from teaching block-to-block visuals to helping steer the corps behind the scenes.

Carolina Crown used the same NightBEAT stage for its 2025 Hall of Fame class, when Charles Long Jr., Tammie Dorn and Larry Shane were honored there. With Brannan, Aycock and Register now added to the record, Crown is keeping its history in the same place it sells the present, under the lights in Winston-Salem.