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The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are arguably the most famous cheerleading squad in the NFL and have been since the early 1970s. They debuted in 1960 as a co-ed squad called the “CowBelles & Beaux,” and by the late 60s, the Cowboys’ then-general manager decided an image makeover for their cheerleaders was needed to boost game attendance. The male cheerleaders were dropped in 1969 and in 1970, the outfits were redesigned. Two years later, another outfit modification was made and that design is pretty much what is worn by the ladies today, save for a few minor alterations over the years.
Besides cheering on the Cowboys on game days, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders make personal appearances at shows and events all over the world. Yours truly has caught some of their abbreviated touring squads during their USO tours of military bases in South Korea and Japan. I could go on at length about the DCC, but this article isn’t about them. This is about the Texas Cowgirls, Inc., a long-defunct Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ faction formed by ex-Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Tina Jimenez, that first gained fame/infamy in the late 1970s. At right is the (in)famous shot for their poster, that ran in the December 1978 issue of Playboy magazine.
Contrary to what was popularly believed when the December ’78 Playboy issue hit the stands, the ladies in the photo at right were not then still current members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, who subsequently got sacked for doing the Playboy pictorial. They were all ex-Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders at the time they did their Playboy shoots that included their mock version of the then-popular DCC poster. They were, at the time, current members of the Texas Cowgirls, Inc., who were riding a wave of fame that rivaled their former organization. By the summer of 1978, the original 25 members of the Texas Cowgirls, Inc. had a busy schedule that included appearances at store grand openings, a charity softball game, and they were called upon to help celebrate a millionaire’s birthday party at an exclusive Dallas country club, where liquor was served. Something their former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders “den mother” would have forbade them to do when they were members.
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Great article Chris! Sometimes I forget there were cheerleaders before the Gold Rush.
Thanks, Steve! Yeah, the Gold Rush didn’t debut until 1983, between the Niners’ first and second Super Bowl wins.
I remember seeing them in Playboy! I had a subscription back then and I would always look forward to the Holiday Issue. Thanks for this trip down Memory – or should I say 'Mammary' – Lane!
I still have this issue in my collection. It was the Farrah Fawcett "Gala Christmas Issue" The cheerleaders article had some real babes from other teams too. Like Julie Jourdan, an Embraceable Ewe for the Rams when they were still in LA. She must be 60 now because I found this 1980 article on her that was written when she was 25.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/01/21/the-lure-of-the-camera-the-roar-of-the-crowd/e694e0ef-03fc-4680-9f34-fb99ef23ea4a/
Debbie Does Dallas was a classic! I’m not surprised the DCC sued the makers of it. You should do a “whatever happened to” article on Bambi Woods. Who knows? She may read it and respond!
Porn Dead: a Whatever Happened to Bambi Woods? Is available on Amazon Kindle. It is a true life investigative story that uncovers her true identity and current whereabouts. A recent photo is even provided towards the end. For those of you interested in the real truth behind this 25 year old mystery this story does not disappoint.
Regards,
Charlie Imus
If the 1977 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders poster is going to be displayed in the Smithsonian, then so should the Texas Cowgirls, Inc poster. What do you say we start a petition?
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/02/24/iconic-1977-dallas-cowboys-cheerleader-poster-will-hang-smithsonian
Good article. I had the issue of Playboy the Texas Cowgirls inc were in. I have wondered what became of them over the years. Some of them you can see here at ‘Pompedia’ (a great resource for checking who was really a former pro cheerleader) when they were still with the DCC.
https://www.pompedia.com/index.php?title=Dallas_Cowboys_Cheerleaders_of_1977_-_78
Very good article, I still have that issue of Playboy in my collection.
This is a more recent article in the NY Post. Another reminder of the DCC past they wish to forget.
https://nypost.com/2018/11/08/former-cowboys-cheerleaders-tell-all-on-debbie-does-dallas-scandal/
A lot of the girls who were in that Playboy article are now in the whatever happened to file, no? Not just the Cowboys cheerleaders, but some of the others. I’d love to know what happened to Liz Caleca, who was a former Miss Nude California and a San Diego Chargers cheerleader.
Suzie Holub was one hot babe. Anyone know where is she now?
I was right, Syndy Garza was both DCC & Texas Cowgirl.
This article in the NY Post ran 2 years ago. In it, a former Cowboys cheerleader claims their lawyers sued the makers of Debbie Does Dallas and won. “The uniform came out of the movie” she claims but that’s a crock. Bambi Woods wore an outfit in the film that looked exactly like a Cowboys Cheerleaders outfit, except for the added hat, which was a nice touch!
https://nypost.com/2018/11/08/former-cowboys-cheerleaders-tell-all-on-debbie-does-dallas-scandal/
I’m a lifelong Charger fan but born after Liz Caleca was a Chargerette. Too bad because I would have loved to have seen her shaking her pom poms on the sidelines.
Here’s an article that ran in D Magazine in August 1978, just before the Playboy issue with these girls hit the stands:
https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1978/august/bunnies-cheerleaders-always-shake-it-separately/