Dee Brock, the educator and model credited with creating the original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, passed away on September 23 in Tyler, Texas. She was 96. Her death, confirmed by longtime friend Linda Resnik, marks the end of a life that significantly influenced the identity and popularity of one of the National Football League’s most recognizable cheerleading squads.

In 1961, Tex Schramm, then president of the Dallas Cowboys, hired Brock to lead the cheerleading squad in its second year following the team’s unsuccessful inaugural NFL season in 1960. Tasked with assembling a squad of models, Brock instead proposed recruiting local high school cheerleaders to bring athleticism and gymnastics into the routines, a move that helped shift the group away from traditional cheerleading styles. Early on, the squad included both girls and boys and was briefly known as the Cowbelles and Beaux, a name Brock disliked.

Brock oversaw several important developments in the group’s evolution. In 1965, she integrated the cheerleaders racially, hired a choreographer, and began designing more revealing costumes, which were intended to mark the transition from conventional cheerleading to a more performance-driven and stylized entertainment role. While the iconic design credited to Paula Van Wagoner—the star-spangled vest, blue tops, shorts, and white boots—came later, Brock’s efforts laid the groundwork for the squad’s modern appearance. By the early 1970s, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders had taken on much of the look they maintain today and performed at two Super Bowls during her tenure. Brock directed the squad on a part-time basis until 1975 while continuing her career as a high school teacher in Dallas.

Beyond her work with the cheerleaders, Brock made significant contributions to education. She earned a Ph.D. in American literature and was a founding faculty member at El Centro College in Dallas. There, she developed televised college courses, pioneering early distance learning programs. Later, as director of adult programming at PBS, Brock expanded educational offerings for adult learners, overseeing the creation of courses in multiple disciplines that reached tens of thousands of students nationwide.

Born Dorothy Faye Sala on June 7, 1930, in Covington, Oklahoma, Brock was raised in eastern Texas. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) before moving into teaching and modeling in Dallas. She was married to Bob Brock, a Dallas Times Herald entertainment reporter, with whom she had three sons; the marriage ended in divorce.

Brock’s legacy endures not only in the popularity of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, who have performed internationally and appeared in television shows and documentaries, but also in her impact on inclusivity and educational innovation. In 2022, former and current cheerleaders honored her with a lifetime achievement award, recognizing her role in establishing the troupe’s enduring influence. Eunice Taylor Cicero, one of the squad’s first Black members, reflected on Brock’s influence by noting the confidence and opportunity she helped inspire.

Dee Brock is survived by her sons, three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.