A Brief History of Cheerleading
Bettmann / Corbis
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Though professional football teams had had cheerleaders since the 1960s (the Baltimore Colts are credited as the first to organize a squad), nothing did more to popularize cheerleading than the gals from Dallas, who gained national attention with their revealing outfits and sophisticated dance routines. Debuting in the 1972 season, they were first seen widely in 1976, above, when their team went to Super Bowl X in Miami.
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