In 1981, the Carrier Dome was only a year old and Dome Dogs were still an honest-to-goodness novelty. Early that year, Syracuse University ushered in a new era by hiring Head Coach Dick McPherson to bring the struggling Syracuse University football program back to its former glory. Coincidentally that same year, Syracuse University Bands also hired new leadership: Director of Bands Dr. Robert “Dr. Bob” Spradling (formerly of Florida State University) and Assistant Director David “Dave” McCullough (formerly of West Virginia University) to lead the Pride of the Orange Marching Band.

Both “Dr. Bob” and Dave McCullough recognized the need for a strong service organization to support the growing band program, as each had been associated with Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma at Florida State and West Virginia Universities. In September of 1981, a group of members from West Virginia’s Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma Chapters visited Syracuse University to address a group of SU band members to start what would eventually become the Eta Phi and Eta Alpha Chapters, respectively.

On December 4th, 1982, the Eta Phi Chapter of Syracuse University was officially installed as a Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi. The seven Founding Fathers of the chapter were Joseph “Joe” Morano, Keith McLaughlin, Bruce Churchill, Robert Fett, Steven Moore, Sean O’Brien and James Tyler.

In recent years, Eta Phi has had a rapid growth in membership and service to the bands, with currently over twenty active brothers! In the Spring of 2010, the chapter hosted the Northern Precinct Convention for the Northeast District. Eta Phi has been awarded many accolades by both Syracuse University and Kappa Kappa Psi, most recently with being awarded Top Chapter in the Northeast District of Kappa Kappa Psi in March of 2010.