Dee Brock, Visionary Founder of The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Dies at 96: Brock Is Credited With Successfully Fighting To Integrate The Squad In The ’60s

Dee Brock, the trailblazing former model and educator who created the blueprint for the modern professional sports dance team as the founding director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, died Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, at her home in Tyler, Texas. She was 96.

Her passing was confirmed by her family and the Dallas Cowboys organization, drawing widespread tributes from generations of cheerleaders and sports executives who credited Brock with transforming sideline entertainment into a multi-million-dollar global pop-culture phenomenon.

“Dee was a visionary who helped create an icon,” said Kelli Finglass, the current director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, in a statement. “Her standard of excellence and eye for talent laid the foundation for everything we are today.”

From ‘CowBelles’ to Pop Culture Icons

Brock’s journey into NFL history began in 1960. Looking to inject glamour and energy into the newly formed franchise’s stadium experience, Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm approached Brock—then a professional model and educator—to form a cheer squad.

Her initial creation in 1961 was a co-ed high school group called the “CowBelles & Beaux.” However, Brock quickly realized that a more mature, highly choreographed group would better captivate the crowds. She transitioned the squad into an all-female lineup, rebranding them just in time for their first Super Bowl appearance in 1971.

Brock was also instrumental in designing the early iterations of the team’s iconic uniform. She helped guide the aesthetic shift toward the fringe, midriff-bearing tops, shorts, and classic white cowboy boots—a look so definitive of Americana that a version of it now resides in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

A Hidden Legacy of Integration

While Brock’s name is inextricably linked to the glamour of the Cowboys, her family notes that her most hard-fought victory occurred away from the spotlight. In 1965, long before the mainstream adoption of diversity in professional sports entertainment, Brock fought team management to racially integrate the squad.

“She didn’t see color, she saw people,” her family said in a statement, reflecting on her determination to ensure that every young woman, regardless of background, had a fair chance to showcase her talent on the field.

A Passion Beyond the Gridiron

Brock stepped down from her role with the cheerleaders after the 1975 season, handing operations over to Suzanne Mitchell. Yet, despite her massive impact on professional football, Brock frequently told loved ones that she preferred to be remembered for her lifelong dedication to public education.

A scholar at heart, Brock taught high school at Thomas Jefferson in Dallas and later became a college professor, helping to establish Dallas College’s El Centro Campus. Her expertise in educational communication eventually took her to Washington, D.C., where she served as a Senior Vice President of educational programming for PBS.

In June 2022, members of the modern Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders traveled to Brock’s home in Tyler to present her with a Lifetime Achievement Award—a bedazzled game football honoring her as the woman who started it all.

Brock is survived by her family, a sprawling network of former students, and the enduring legacy of the international brand she helped create from the sidelines of Texas football.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been publicly announced.