Although it’s never mentioned publicly by anyone currently associated with the squad, probably the most tumultuous time during the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ history was during the late-1970’s. From 1977-1979 the DCC received a lot of press that gave them the highest profile of any cheerleading squad in the NFL at the time. Most of it was positive and remains a proud part of their history. Their 1977 poster, featuring select members of their squad, probably adorned as many walls as those of Cheryl Tiegs and Farrah Fawcett, from that same era. In 1978, which seemed to be their banner year, they received their greatest national attention when when the entire squad appeared on NBCs Rock-n-Roll Sports Classic and The Osmond Brothers Special on ABC. Later that year, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders appeared on the ABC special entitled The 36 Most Beautiful Girls in Texas, which strategically aired just before the season opener of Monday Night Football, in which the Cowboys tamed the then-Baltimore Colts, 38-0.
On January 14, 1979, coincidentally in the wake of the December 1978 Playboy issue hitting the newsstands, the made-for-TV movie The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders aired. It starred Jane Seymour with Pamela Susan Shoop in a supporting role. (The latter went on to appear in Halloween II and arguably the most memorable death scene in the whole Halloween franchise.) The press the squad garnished themselves with from the Playboy feature probably was a major factor in the movie reportedly getting a 48% share of the national television audience.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are very proud of these events in their history and rightly so. However, there were some newsworthy happenings that coincided with the aforementioned that, to this day, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders’ officials would rather not discuss, mention, or even acknowledge.
Besides the aforementioned and disgruntled ex-members of the DCC (along with members of some other NFL cheerleading squads) appearing in various stages of undress in Playboy magazine in the late-70s (December 1978 and March 1979), one of the most popular pornographic films of all-time, Debbie Does Dallas was released. Although no former members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were in the cast, it did star a girl who was reported to have tried out for the squad, but didn’t make the cut.
Bambi Woods (whose real name was believed to be Barbara Woodson, but in 2005 it was discovered she was living in Des Moines, Iowa as Debra DeSanto), played Debbie Benton, a not-too-bright suburban girl who was trying to raise money to make the trip to Dallas to try out for the fictitious Texas Cowgirls, a pro cheerleading squad not-too-loosely-based on the real deal. The film also included some other fairly well-known adult film actresses of that era, such as Arcadia Lake and Merle Michaels, but Woods was definitely the centerpiece.
With the exception of the white cowboy hat (which was a very nice touch), the outfit Bambi Woods is depicted wearing on the film’s poster (at left) is practically identical to those worn by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. So practically identical, it was enough for the DCC’s legal team to sue Pussycat Cinema, Ltd. (the distributor of the film) over trademark infringement, unfair competition, and dilution of trademark. While the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ lawyers were able to prevent the film from being shown in a certain New York adult theater, it ran in many others in the US and some abroad. In 1987, a few years after the videocassette boom, a US district court ruled that Debbie Does Dallas had been “thrust irretrievably into the public domain” (and yes, it’s available at Amazon).
An interesting footnote about the film’s star, Bambi Woods, is that she only appeared in this movie and its 1981 sequel, Debbie Does Dallas 2 before dropping out of the adult film business and the public eye, altogether. Despite being credited in the casts of both 1985’s Debbie Does Dallas 3 and 1994’s Debbie Does Dallas 20th Anniversary Edition, both just featured footage of Miss Woods from her earlier appearances in the first two films. She currently resides in the “Whatever Happened to..?” file.
> Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Inc. vs. Scoreboard Posters, Inc., Arny Freytag, and Texas Cowgirls, Inc.
> Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Inc. vs. Pussycat Cinema, Ltd. and Michael Zaffarano
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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/