The Troopers not only gained a wide-ranging fan base through their travels, but the corps was a successful competitor. Their first "national" contest was the 1961 American Legion Championships in Denver, where the corps finished fourth; they would finish in third place the following year in Las Vegas. The Troopers' first major victory was in the 1965 World Open in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1966, the Troopers won the VFW Nationals. The corps won the CYO Nationals three years in a row, 1968-70. 1970 was probably their most successful season, when they won their second VFW National Championship in Miami Beach, added their third CYO title in Boston, earned their third World Open crown in Lynn, Massachusetts, and appeared on national TV during the halftime of a Minnesota Vikings NFL game. In 1971, the Troopers were the stars of a television special, "The Troopers Are Coming", narrated by actor Walter Brennan.