Seneca Optimists

The Seneca Optimists was a Canadian Drum & Bugle Corps based in Toronto, Ontario. The corps was created in 1976 as a merger between the Seneca Princemen and the Toronto Optimists. Al Tierney was the founding director. A very successful corps, the Optimists were Canadian National Champions 13 times in their 20-year history, including 11 in a row (1958-1968). The Optimists competed in Drum Corps International (DCI) Finals in 1976 and 1977, one of only four Canadian corps to make finals. Their highest finish was eighth, in 1977. Their highest major finish came when they won the championship of the 1977 U.S. Open. The corps even dressed optimistically, in bright, eye-catching yellow. They supposedly picked up the name "Mellow Yellow" when a drunk in the stands began yelling that at them in a 1976 show. In 2003, the Optimists Alumni Corps took shape to "celebrate the existence of Canada's most successful competitive drum and bugle corps.