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Rah, Rah, Sis, Boom, Bah
Princeton vs New Jersey (now Rutgers) is known as the first ever recorded American football game: During the game, Princeton students got the idea that crowd chanting at football games would boost school spirit so they came up with a catchy cheer. Ray, Ray, Ray!
Tiger, Tiger, Tiger!
Sis, Sis, Sis!
Boom, Boom, Boom
Aaaaah! Princeton, Princeton, Princeton! -
Pep Clubs and Fight Songs
It was when an 1882 Princeton University graduate, Thomas Peebles, took the idea of cheerleading to the University of Minnesota that cheerleading as we know it was about to start. Organized pep clubs, fight songs, chants, and designated areas for cheerleaders became more common. -
University of Minnesota
After graduating from Princeton, Thomas Peebles took the cheers to the University of Minnesota. Football Fight songs were already becoming very popular here. -
Yell Squads
During a football slump, University of Minnesota student, Johnny Campbell, picked up a megaphone and rallied the crowd. Around the same time, Kilgore College students were caught drinking at halftime during a football game. The cheer team was told to entertain at halftime to keep students occupied. These two events led to the earliest form of cheerleading also called "yell squads". -
Women are Allowed to Cheer
It wasn't until 1923 that women were allowed to cheer. The University of Minnesota was the first to allow this. During this decade, cheerleaders added tumbling and acrobatics to their routines, and a University of Oregon cheerleader used flashcards for the first time. -
Pom-Poms are Invented
The first usable pom-pom’s creation was credited to Jim Hazlewood, who created them using crepe, or tissue, paper. However, paper poms were thin and delicate so they fell apart easily when shaken vigorously. They also could not be used in rainy or snowy weather. Lawrence Herkimer began manufacturing modern pom poms after he founded his cheerleading supply company in 1953. Herkimer holds a patent to the pom pom since he developed the pom with a hidden handle. -
NCA Founded
Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer founded NCA, or the National Cheerleaders Association. It was the first cheerleading company to introduce camp curriculum and cheerleading championships and other events. -
Title IX
The Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school funded programs. All-star, or competitive cheerleading, is not included in this amendment. Section 33353.7 was added to the Education Code, to read: "Competition cheer shall not be counted towards a school's Title IX compliance unless the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights deems competition cheer compliant with its definition of a sport." -
UCA is Founded
Jeff Webb founded Universal Cheerleaders Association to provide the highest quality educational training for cheerleaders with the goal of incorporating high level skills with traditional crowd leading. Today it is the largest cheerleading camp company in the world. UCA trains over 180,000 cheerleaders every summer at over 3,200 sessions. -
First Competition
The first televised cheerleading competition was aired by CBS. -
Uniform Redesign
Varsity Spirit Fashions introduced a new, bold look for cheer uniforms designs. They were said to compliment UCA's youthful and athletic image. -
AACCA
The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors was formed to educate coaches and advisors on safety rules and guidelines. It is now known as USA Cheer. -
World Records
Cheer Athletics set a world record by winning a total of 6 medals: 4 gold and 2 silver. Each were world titles. -
Officially a Sport!
The International Olympic Committee designated cheerleading as a Sport and assigned a governing body. -
Netflix's Cheer Airs
Netflix's docuseries, "Cheer", follows the ups and downs of Navarro College's cheer team.