Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Former DCC Abigail Klein
General Information
Team	Dallas Cowboys
Established	1960 (under the name "CowBelles & Beaux")
Director	Kelli Finglass
Choreographer	Judy Trammell
Members	36

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are the National Football League cheerleading squad representing the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are widely regarded as one of the best cheerleading squads in the NFL.

The original cheerleading squad was made up of a male-female group called the "CowBelles & Beaux". The group made its sidelines debut in 1960 during the Cowboys' inaugural season. Local high school students made up the squad, which was typical of high school and college cheerleading squads throughout the 1960s, rarely getting much attention.

During a game between the Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons at the Cotton Bowl during the 1967 season, the scantily clad, well-endowed Bubbles Cash, a stripper by profession, caused a tremendous stir in the crowd that turned to cheers when she walked down the staircase stands on the 50-yard line carrying cotton candy in each hand. She became an instant public sensation in Dallas, also gaining attention from Cowboys General Manager Tex Schramm. Understanding the importance of the entertainment industry to the Cowboys' profitability, Schramm was inspired to form a cheerleading squad dressed in similar fashion to Cash. By 1969, it was decided that the cheerleading squad needed this new image. The male cheerleaders were dropped from the squad, and an all-female squad from local high school cheerleading squads in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was selected. From that point on, the "CowBelles & Beaux" became the "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders", with new members added every year.

Preparing for the 1970 season, Schramm decided to change the Cheerleaders' image to boost attendance. At first the main change was to create an all-female squad and change the uniforms and style of cheerleading routines to be primarily dance and less like traditional acrobatic routines like that of high school or college cheerleading squads. The ten local high school cheerleaders who were selected for the 1970 season were also involved in the task of totally redesigning the uniforms and creating new dance style cheer routines under Dee Brock's direction and with the help of a choreographer. In 1971, the qualification rules changed to allow not only local female cheerleaders to compete for a spot on the squad, but also high school drill team officers. Then in 1972, Texie Waterman, a New York choreographer, was recruited and assigned to auditioning and training an entirely new female squad who would all be over 18 years of age, searching for attractive appearance, athletic ability, and raw talent as performers. Since the 1972 squad consisted of adults, this allowed the possibility of again redesigning the uniforms to introduce a more revealing look, closer to the classic DCC image that is known today. This modified squad first appeared on the sidelines during the Cowboys' 1972 season.