Cheerleading History Explained
How cheerleading developed from college crowd-leading in the 1880s and 1890s into a global competitive sport - with a timeline of the key dates.
Quick answer: cheerleading began at American college football games in the late 1800s as organised crowd-leading, performed by men. Women joined from the 1920s and became the majority from the 1940s; cheer camps, national competitions and television turned it into a technical sport; and private All Star gyms, the U.S. All Star Federation (2003) and the International Cheer Union (2004) made it the global competitive sport it is today.
Key Dates
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1870s-1880s | Organised yells at Princeton football; the idea spreads to Minnesota |
| 1898 | Johnny Campbell leads the crowd at a University of Minnesota game |
| 1923 | The University of Minnesota first allows women to cheer |
| 1940s | Women become the majority as male students serve in the Second World War |
| 1948 | Lawrence Herkimer founds the National Cheerleaders Association |
| 1960s | Vinyl pom-poms; knee-length pleated skirts replace long wool ones |
| 1974 | Jeff Webb founds the Universal Cheerleaders Association (later Varsity) |
| 1978 | A college cheerleading championship is broadcast on CBS |
| 1984 | The British Cheerleading Association is established |
| 2003 | The U.S. All Star Federation is founded |
| 2004 | First Cheerleading Worlds; the International Cheer Union is founded |
| 2016 | The IOC grants the ICU provisional recognition |
| 2021 | The IOC grants the ICU full recognition |
From the Sidelines to Competition
Cheerleading started as a way to lead crowd chants at college football games. It slowly added more athletic elements - jumps, tumbling and eventually stunts - and spread to high schools, helped by summer camps that taught standardised technique. See How Did Competitive Cheer Develop?.
The Rise of Competitive Cheer
From the 1970s, national competitions and television coverage made the routine itself the event. Private All Star gyms, growing from the 1980s, took this further: their teams exist purely to compete, which led to common levels, rules and championships. See History of All Star Cheer.
A Global Sport
Cheer is now practised around the world, with national federations, international championships and full recognition from the International Olympic Committee since 2021 - though it isn't yet part of an Olympic programme. See Cheerleading and Olympic Recognition.
Uniforms and Kit
The look of cheer has changed as much as the sport: from lettered sweaters and ankle-length skirts to today's stretch, metallic competition uniforms, and from saddle shoes to specialised cheer shoes. See the uniforms, skirts, shoes and pom-poms histories.
Read the full History of Cheerleading for the complete story, or explore the specific topics below.
In This Section
History of Cheerleading
The full story, from crowd leading to a global competitive sport.
Who Invented Cheerleading?
The most commonly cited origin story.
When Did Cheerleading Begin?
A timeline from the late 1800s to today.
Were the First Cheerleaders Men?
Yes - and here's how that changed.
When Did Women Start Cheerleading?
How participation shifted from the 1920s onward.
How Did Competitive Cheer Develop?
From crowd support to a judged, technical sport.
History of All Star Cheer
How gym-based teams reshaped the sport.
History of Cheerleading in the United States
From college football to a nationwide sport.
History of Cheerleading in Britain
How cheer took root and grew in the UK.
When Did Cheer Become a Sport?
A gradual shift, not a single moment.
History of the International Cheer Union
The sport's leading international governing body.
Cheerleading and Olympic Recognition
What recognition means, and where things stand.
History of Cheerleading Uniforms
How uniforms evolved from sweaters to competition wear.
History of Cheer Skirts
How the pleated skirt became a signature piece.
History of Cheer Shoes
From ordinary trainers to a specialised category.
History of Pom-Poms
From simple tufts to a sport-defining prop.