Former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

You will find actresses, company CEOs, doctors, nurses and lawyers among the ranks of former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Believe it or not there is a lot of prestige that goes with being one of the former Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. Many of the women who have served on the squad go on to do great things.

In 1960, the Dallas Cowboys had a new cheer squad called the CowBelles and Beaux made up of guys and gals from local high schools. It was in the early 1970s that the Cowboys' manager decided to hire professional dancers and really add some pizzazz to the routine. The squad was renamed the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and it was a huge hit with fans everywhere.

The cheerleaders began to get tons of exposure and even went on tours, both nationally and internationally. It wasn't long before the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders became a household name.

The cheerleaders made their debut on the sidelines at the 1972-1973 NFL games. In 1978, the squad became even better known when the girls appeared on the Osmond Brothers' Special and NBC's Rock-n-Roll Sports Classic.

The squad has done regular USO tours over the years entertaining American servicemen overseas. The cheerleaders also put out an annual calendar. Many of these calendars have become collector's items and feature squads from previous years.

Over the years, the entire squad has also appeared on television:

• In episodes of The Love Boat
• As a team on Family Feud, donating their winnings to charity
• In a guest appearance on Harry and the Hendersons
• On Saturday Night Live
• On Jay Leno's The Tonight Show
• On David Letterman's The Late Show
• On a special reality series called Making the Team where the 2006/2007 squad tried out and was chosen on film
• On Wife Swap

The exposure of being on the squad helped launch the career of quite a few of the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Here are a few:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin: Laflin is host for the ESPN2 show Speed World, the ESPN show Cold Pizza and has judged for the NFL Cheerleader Playoffs. She became a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.

• Dianna Hart: Hart is mother to actress Demi Lovato. Young fans of the Jonas Brothers and Disney Channel will recognize Demi's name as one of the stars of Camp Rock.

• Janet Gunn: Ms. Gunn has starred on shows such as Silk Stockings and Dark Justice. She was a squad member in the 1980s.

• Jill Marie Jones: Jones is a beautiful actress who starred in the CW series Girlfriends.

• Kelly Finnglass: Finnglass is now the head director of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

• Kristi Ferrell: Ferrell moved into daytime drama and is an actress on the Guiding Light. She was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader from 1978-1979.

• Kristin Holt: Ms. Holt has appeared on magazine covers and was a contestant on American Idol as well as a correspondent. She was a cheerleader for the team during the 2000/2001 season.

• Tina Gayle: Gayle acted on the popular TV series Chips, and was a member of the squad in the early 1980s.

• Judy Trammell: Trammell served as assistant choreographer to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and is now the head choreographer.

• Amy Phelan: Phelan is a trustee of the Guggenheim board for the famous museum in New York.

Just about every type of American woman you can imagine is represented in the current and former cheerleaders for this team. You'll find teachers, company executives, nurses and students. A current cheerleader might be anywhere from 18 to 36 years old. Some are married and some are not. Some even have families.

You can read a complete history of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad at their official website. You'll find out about the standards of the routines and how they closely protect their official uniform. You'll even learn about traditions, rules that must be followed, grueling workouts, auditions and community service.

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