Dee Brock, founder who shaped Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders into global icon, dies at 96
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are mourning the loss of the organization's founder, Dee Brock. She was 96.
On Wednesday, her family confirmed the news on social media, with her grandson Craig Brock saying she passed away that morning.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders posted a single picture of Brock with the caption, "In loving memory of Dee Brock, our founding director. We will forever honor her and her legacy."
Current director Kelli Finglass, who has held a leadership role with DCC since 1991, also shared her condolences.
In an Instagram post, Finglass said in part, "Dee's leadership, imagination, and unwavering commitment to excellence shaped far more than a team. She created a standard, a spirit, and a symbol that have inspired generations and earned recognition around the world."
Greg Whiteley, the director of the Netflix hit series "America's Sweethearts," which chronicles the DCC season, interviewed Brock for the show. In his social media post, he shared how Brock created the DCC uniform.
"According to legend, she sketched the first DCC uniform on a legal pad, and designer Paula Van Wagoner and seamstress Leveta Crager turned it into the iconic look," Whitely said. "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."
Whitely said she shared that when she decided to racially integrate the squad in a still largely segregated Dallas, "convincing Tex Schramm was among the hardest things she ever worked for."
The legacy of Dee Brock
Brock, an Oklahoma native who grew up in East Texas, formed the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in the 1960s after being approached by then GM Tex Schramm. She brought the squad to the Cowboys' first Super Bowl appearance in 1971.
According to Whiteley, she shared that when she decided to racially integrate the squad in a still largely segregated Dallas, "convincing Tex Schramm was among the hardest things she ever worked for."
Brock was also a model, teacher and held a PhD in literature, also founding El Centro College – the first community college in Dallas.
