History of Cheerleading

Great Britain: students began cheering their favorite athletes on at sporting events

Mar 3, 1883

Princeton: Thomas Peebles started a yell of "Sis Boom Rah!"

Mar 3, 1884

University of Minnesota: Johnny Campbell was the first cheerleader. Campbell started yelling with a megaphone "Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-U-Mah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Minn-e-so-tah!" After that people started calling him a yell leader

Mar 3, 1889

University of Minnesota: Johnny and five guy friends organized cheers, fight songs, and raised school pride. This was the first cheerleading squad.

Mar 3, 1899

Gamma Sigma is named the first cheerleading fraternity

Mar 3, 1903

University of Illinois: held the first Homecoming Week

Mar 3, 1910

University of Minnesota: Female students are allowed to cheer, they bring tumbling and gymnastics to the routines

Mar 3, 1923

Dallas: Herkimer has the first workshop under the NCA name

Mar 3, 1949

Santa Cruz, Ca: Herkimer develops the Herkie jump and NCA in incorporated

Mar 3, 1950

Herkimer founds the Cheerleading Supply Company

Mar 3, 1953

Herkimer invents the first pompom

Mar 3, 1956

Baltimore: the Colts add the first professional cheerleading squad in history

Mar 3, 1960

Pop Warners cheerleaders are added to pee wee football

Mar 3, 1967

Fred Gasthoff makes the first vinyl pompom

Mar 3, 1968

Title IX was passed. Varsity is founded, so was the famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Mar 3, 1972

Cheerleaders start cheering for women's sports

Mar 3, 1973

Jeff Webb quits his job with NCA and starts up UCA

Mar 3, 1974

UCA shows their first liberty (stunt) at summer camp

Mar 3, 1976

UCA shows their first basket toss at a summer camp

Mar 3, 1979

All Star squads start forming everywhere

Mar 3, 1980

American Cheerleader Magazine make its debut

Mar 3, 1995

15 states say that cheerleading is a sport

Mar 3, 1997

Minnesota: The Cheerleading Alliance is founded

Mar 3, 1998

ESPN on the record says that cheerleading is a sport

Mar 3, 1999