all about the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

History of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The name itself brings to each of us images of an American icon - beautiful ladies decked out in blue and white uniforms cheering America's Team on to victory; precision dance routines that require a combination of stamina, flexibility and timing that would leave most of us gasping - yet they smile and dance on; or for some, it's the time that we met one of them and she signed an autograph and we spent a few minutes talking...the images differ, but each holds a special place. And today's phenomenon of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is equally special. Everywhere across the country or around the world that any of these young ladies appear thousands of fans congregate looking for the opportunity for a photograph, an autograph, or a few moments to say hello. America's Sweethearts have truly become the darlings of the National Football League. But it didn't start out that way.

The Dallas Cowboys have always had cheerleaders. As was the standard in professional football throughout the 1960's, the CowBelles & Beaux were high school students from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex managed by Dee Brock. They cheered on the football teams success all the way to the 1971 Super Bowl Championship. But, during the Cowboys preparations for the defense of their World Championship title in the 1972 season, a new idea was born.

Tex Schramm was the Cowboys general manager and, with his extensive background in television, recognized that professional football had become more than sports - it was sports entertainment. He knew that the public liked pretty girls. In fact, he'd already tried hiring professional models for the sidelines. It was a disaster. The models were beautiful, but they were not athletes. More than 3 hours of exertion in the hundred degree heat of the sidelines had left them in worse shape after the game than the football players. But, the idea just would not go away. Models had not worked, but what about dancers?

He talked the idea over with Dee and the decision was made to expand the established football tradition of sideline cheerleaders into a glamorous, choreographed squad of accomplished dancers that would serve as a counterpoint to the game itself. Dee recruited one of the top dancers in America, Texie Waterman, who also owned a dance studio in Dallas, to judge at the auditions and help create a squad of dancers to grace the sidelines of Texas Stadium. Sixty ladies attended that first audition. Seven were chosen. They spent their summer at Training Camp with Texie where cheers and chants were replaced with grand jetes and pirouettes.When the 1972-73 NFL season kicked off that fall, it was a major turning point in Cheerleader history. The Dallas Cowboys introduced their "new" Cheerleaders at Texas Stadium wearing new star spangled uniforms and debuting an innovative and exciting new form of gameday action. For the first time ever, anywhere, jazz dancing was blended with beauty and brought to a football field...and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were born.

When Dee left to resume her graduate studies, Texie became the heart and soul of the new form of on-field entertainment. Her total commitment to professional creativity and disciplined dance execution found a new focus in sideline routines and field performances. As the Cheerleaders success grew, so to did the dozens of responsibilities for auditions, rehearsals, personal appearances, meetings, and all of the details required to put the group in top form on the football field. Initially, Tex asked his secretary, Suzanne Mitchell, to handle managing the squad in her "spare time", and in 1976 she become the first Director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

While Texie perfected the performance, Suzanne piloted the organization to world-wide renown. With her guidance, dedication, and love for each of the Cheerleaders, as well as the traditions of the Squad, she succeeded in developing the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders beyond anyone's wildest expectations.

With Texie's retirement in the early 80's, Suzanne's search for the next DCC choreographer did not have to go too far afield. Texie had succeeded in establishing a new dance form - customized for a 100 yard "stage" with a football stadium audience - and one of her most popular and outstanding DCC protégé's was already assisting with the Cheerleaders choreography. Shannon Baker Werthmann had been receiving dance honors since the age of 5 and had spent 4 years as one of "America's Sweethearts". "I was looking for a choreographer who knew the field, who understood what the girls were going through". Shannon certainly filled the bill, and for the next decade built upon the performance foundation Texie had laid.

The 1977 season brought a second World Championship to "America's Team" and helped to launch "America's Sweethearts" well beyond the football field. The '77 squad appeared on two network television specials in the spring of 1978 - the NBC Rock-n-Roll Sports Classic and The Osmond Brothers Special on ABC. In August, the '78 squad was featured in a Faberge shampoo commercial. September had the Cheerleaders kicking off the season for Monday Night Football by hosting their own one-hour Special on ABC entitled "The 36 Most Beautiful Girls in Texas". Hollywood came to Dallas in November to film "The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders", a two hour movie that aired on January 14, 1979. In taking a 60% share of the national television audience, it became the second highest rated made-for-television movie in history. The sequel, "The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders II" aired on January 13, 1980. More recently, the Cheerleaders had a featured role in Robert Altman's latest motion picture, starring Richard Gere, "Dr. T and the Women" which was released in the Fall of 2000.

The television appearances have continued throughout the years. The Cheerleaders have sailed on "The Love Boat" twice, battled the Dallas Cowboys on "Family Feud", visited with "Harry & the Hendersons", made a "Salute to Lady Liberty" and celebrated the "Billy Bob's New Year Special" for CBS. They have joined NBC for three "Academy of Country & Western Music Awards" shows and a "Nashville Palace Show", and been the guests of Phil Donahue, Geraldo and "The Wheel of Fortune". They've even spent their Saturday night dancing on "Saturday Night Live", made appearances with Jay Leno and David Letterman, and performed alongside celebrities such as Clint Black, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, Jessica Simpson and Billy Gilman.

1978 also brought the beginnings of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders international activities. A performance at the Mirage Bowl football game in December of that year took the squad on a very successful 10-day tour of Japan. Millions of Japanese took advantage of the opportunity to see them perform in theaters and parades across the country as well as on a number of national television programs. They also completed several commercials for Mitsubushi Motors Corporation during the trip. Other international promotional tours have included a return to Japan for American Airlines, a trip to Australia for Philips Consumer Products, and appearances in Peru sponsored by the Saga Company. In fact, their international appeal has proven to be a tremendous marketing tool for companies around the world needing to make an American "splash" with their campaign, including the National Football League. When the NFL wanted promotional appearances for American football in Mexico and Japan, the group they asked was the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

While the high-profile experiences of being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader are unique, for many of the members of the squad the most rewarding of their activities are in somewhat less glamorous surroundings. In 1979, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) requested their presence on a USO Christmas tour of installations in Korea. The ladies performances were so enthusiastically received by the thousands of American troops serving their country so very far from home that a tradition was born.

The Cheerleaders, the DOD and the USO have since teamed up an unprecedented 49 times to boost the morale of the men and women of our U.S. military at hundreds of bases and outposts around the world. If our country's forces are stationed there, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders stand ready to offer their own brand of thanks to these dedicated young Americans. The one-hour variety shows bring standing ovations and tears to the eyes of the audiences and the entertainers alike. The ladies have their meals in the mess halls and share in close conversations about the Cowboys, happenings in the States and loved ones at home.

It is a special time. So special in fact, that in 1991 the Cheerleaders were honored to receive the USO's prestigious "50th Anniversary Award" and in 1997 their many years of distinguished service to the men, women and families of America's Armed Forces was recognized with the presentation of the USO's first ever "Spirit of Hope" Award. The entire Dallas Cowboys organization is extremely proud of the high regard this nation has for the Cheerleaders and for the distinction they have earned in having performed for more troops overseas than any other entertainer...ever!

Community Service...
Most of the Cheerleaders non-game appearances are done for charity. They have lent their support to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Salvation Army, the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, the George Lindsey Celebrity Golf Tournament for Special Olympics, the Association for Hearing Impaired Children, Veterans Administration Hospitals , the March of Dimes, American Heart Association, Arthritis Foundation, Cancer Society, United Way, Variety Club Telethons, and the Make A Wish Foundation - in addition to their annual visits to numerous nursing homes and children's hospitals.

The Individuals...
This unique group of young women has a deep responsibility: they assume a corporate identity, yet they cannot lose sight of themselves as individuals. It is a basic concept of the organization that each person in the stadium or in the audience has a mental picture of their ideal girl - and the squad offers someone for each of them to identify with. As in the past, almost every phase of the American woman is represented: teachers, secretaries, company executives, homemakers, nurses, students, medical technicians, fashion coordinators, accountants, sales and advertising representatives, file clerks, receptionists, cashiers, dental hygienists, flight attendants, etc. Some are single, some are married - several have children. Typically they range in age from 18 to 36, although there is no upper age limit. They are from small towns and big cities. Some have been performing for years with extensive dance backgrounds and some come to the Squad with no training at all, but have the gift of showmanship and the ability to learn.

What they all have in common is the dedication to responsibility and commitment to excellence that being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader requires. They subject themselves to rigorous physical conditioning, an exhaustive year round rehearsal schedule and stringent rules and regulations that govern their part-time life.


Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Official Website