1960s During a game between the Cowboys and the
Atlanta Falcons at the
Cotton Bowl during the 1967 season, the short-skirted performer Bubbles Cash attracted significant attention from the crowd which cheered when she walked down the stands staircase 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.
1970s 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 traditional acrobatic routines such as 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 audition and train an entirely new female squad who would all be over 18 years of age, searching for performers with attractive appearance, athletic ability, and raw talent. Since the 1972 squad consisted of adults, this allowed the possibility of again redesigning the uniforms to introduce a more revealing look (most notably transitioning from the traditional cheerleader skirt to
hot pants) closer to the classic DCC image that is known today. Even greater national attention came in the fall of 1977. When the Cowboys, along with designer and photographer Bob Shaw, produced the first NFL cheerleader poster for the Dallas Cowboys. This, and an
Esquire magazine article by Shaw in October 1977, led to the squad appearing on two network TV specials,
NBC Rock-n-Roll Sports Classic and
The Osmond Brothers Special on
ABC. Also that year, the DCC produced their own one-hour special,
The 36 Most Beautiful Girls in Texas, which aired on ABC prior to the season opener of
Monday Night Football (which coincidentally was a game that the Cowboys hosted). On January 14,
1979, one week before the Cowboys played in
Super Bowl XIII, the
made-for-TV movie Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders aired. Starring
Bert Convy and
Jane Seymour, it had a 48% share of the national television audience. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the cheerleaders were often referred to as the "Dallas Cowgirls". In 1983, 2 former cheerleaders attempted to form a separate company called the "Dallas Cowgirls" but were sued by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
1980s On January 13,
1980, a sequel to the original TV movie,
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders II, aired. The Cheerleaders have made many other TV appearances since then, and their likeness has been featured on various merchandise, such as posters, T-shirts, trading cards, and calendars. The DCC has also toured throughout the United States (on and off the field), as well as overseas. Included in these tours are regular appearances in
United Service Organizations (USO) tours, which began during the 1979 holiday season for U.S. troops stationed in
South Korea.
1990s The DCC held a ceremony inaugurating the second game of the
1994 FIFA World Cup between Spain and South Korea. Former DCCs
Kelli McGonagill Finglass and
Judy Trammell became the squad's director and choreographer, respectively.
2000s–present From 2006 to 2021, the Cheerleaders produced their own
reality television series,
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, which aired on
Country Music Television (CMT) during the NFL football season. The series followed the audition process of the annual squad. Traditionally, each episode would include segments of the “Training Camp Candidates” and “Veteran Candidates” dancing along to music and learning new choreography from guest choreographers. Despite the show running successfully for 16 seasons, CMT decided to not renew the show for its 17th season. A new series, ''
America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders'' aired on
Netflix on June 20, 2024. The DCC also held an opening ceremony and podium at the
2013 and
2018,
2021 and
2023 United States Grands Prix races in Austin, Texas. They received the
FIFA delegation to promote the
2022 FIFA World Cup. The DCC releases several calendars every year. More recently, in addition to their annual swimsuit calendar, they also release an annual "sideline calendar," featuring photos of the DCC cheering and performing at Cowboys home games. For decades the DCC also act as advocates for
female empowerment in the DFW metroplex. The DCC were the subject of the documentary
Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders released in November 2018. It focuses on
Suzanne Mitchell who was the director of the team from 1972 to 1989. In December 2021, the magazine
Texas Monthly released an 8-episode podcast called "America's Girls," featuring interviews with former cheerleaders and other people involved with the DCC. == Cultural impact and legacy ==