A post shared by Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (@dccheerleaders)
Dee Brock, the founding director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders who helped build the squad into one of the NFL’s most recognizable brands, has died. She was 96.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders announced Brock’s death Wednesday.
“In loving memory of Dee Brock, our founding director,” the organization wrote on social media. “We will forever honor her and her legacy.”
Brock’s influence extended well beyond North Texas, including San Antonio, where the Dallas Cowboys have long maintained one of the team’s largest fan bases outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
A Tyler native, Brock helped establish what would become the modern Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
According to WFAA, Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm asked Brock in the 1960s to organize a dance and cheer squad to enhance the game-day experience. Her original group, known as the “CowBelles & Beaux,” included men and women wearing white button-down shirts.
ALSO READ:Former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gets married for the second time
After the Cowboys’ Super Bowl-winning season in 1971, the organization introduced the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
The squad quickly became one of the NFL’s most recognizable cheerleading teams, known for its signature blue-and-white uniforms, white shorts and cowboy boots. According to WFAA, the uniform later became part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Current Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders director Kelli Finglass, who has led the organization since 1991, remembered Brock as a visionary whose influence extended far beyond the sidelines.
“Dee’s leadership, imagination, and unwavering commitment to excellence shaped far more than a team,” Finglass wrote on Instagram. “She created a standard, a spirit, and a symbol that have inspired generations and earned recognition around the world.”
Finglass said Brock’s influence continues through the generations of women who have represented the Cowboys.
“Rest peacefully, Dee,” Finglass wrote. “You will always be remembered, and your legacy will continue to shine.”
Subscribe
There’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders founding director Dee Brock dies at 96, leaving behind iconic legacy.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
