Dee Brock, original director of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, dies at 96
Dee Brock, the original director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders who helped mold the prototype for NFL sideline entertainment and sketched the team’s iconic uniform on a legal pad, died at 96, according to confirmations from her family and current organization leaders.
Brock passed away on Wednesday morning, as confirmed on social media by her grandson, Craig Brock, and current Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders director Kelli Finglass. Operating as the squad’s director from 1960 to 1975, Brock transformed what started as a simple request from then-team president Tex Schramm into a globally recognized cultural symbol.
Shaping the Prototype for Professional Sideline Entertainment
When Tex Schramm approached Brock through a mutual friend about organizing a cheerleading squad for the new franchise, the initial concept was straightforward. Schramm intended to recruit local models. Brock, who worked as a model in Dallas after growing up in Wright City and attending school in New London, immediately asked about the compensation.
https://x.com/DCCheerleaders/status/2102900121088250180
When told there was no salary, Brock informed Schramm that models would not commit to cheering on those terms. She suggested an alternative approach for the startup team, advising him to recruit high school cheerleaders instead.
“He said, ‘What do I do then? What could we do?'” Brock recalled during a 2009 interview with then-KLTV sports director Maya Golden-Bethany. “I said, ‘if I were in charge, this is a start up team, first time you are going to have a team on the field, I would go for high school cheerleaders.'”
Under her leadership, the squad traveled to Super Bowl V in Miami in 1971 and Super Bowl VI in New Orleans in 1972. Following those appearances, Brock implemented sweeping operational changes. She mandated an age minimum of 18, brought in a professional dance choreographer, and successfully pushed to racially integrate the squad during the 1960s in a still largely segregated Dallas.
Greg Whiteley, director of the Netflix series “America’s Sweethearts,” noted in a social media tribute that Brock recalled convincing Tex Schramm to integrate the team as one of the hardest undertakings of her career. Whiteley also recounted the creation of the team’s signature look, noting that Brock sketched the initial uniform design on a legal pad before designer Paula Van Wagoner and seamstress Leveta Crager brought the concept to life.
A Legacy Enduring Across Generations
Kelli Finglass, who has directed the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders since 1991, emphasized the foundational impact of Brock’s early work in a statement published on social media.
“Dee’s leadership, imagination, and unwavering commitment to excellence shaped far more than a team,” Finglass wrote. “She created a standard, a spirit, and a symbol that have inspired generations and earned recognition around the world.”
Beyond her contributions to professional football, Brock’s professional background spanned modeling, teaching, and literature, earning a PhD in the subject. She also played a foundational role in higher education as a founder of El Centro College, establishing the first community college in Dallas.
Whiteley paid further tribute to her administrative and cultural footprint, suggesting recognition within the franchise itself. “If the Cowboys ever decide to put a woman in their Ring of Honor, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more deserving than Ms. Dee Brock,” he stated.