Boston Crusaders was founded in 1940 as the Most Precious Blood Crusaders. Separating from the church parish that sponsored the group in its early years, the corps became the Hyde Park Crusaders and later the Boston Crusaders as it established itself as a national powerhouse. A charter member of Drum Corps International in the 1970s, it would not be until 1999 that Boston skyrocketed into the DCI World Championship Finals. The corps has retained its spot among DCI’s elite Top 12 ever since.