Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ Longtime Director Suzanne Mitchell Dies at 73

The longtime director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has died at 73, the organization said Wednesday.

Suzanne Mitchell, who shepherded the iconic cheerleading squad amid rising popularity from 1976 to 1989, died Tuesday, according to a Cowboys news release.

Mitchell started her career as an assistant to club president and general manager Tex Schramm. Before long, she took over as the cheerleaders’ director, and under her leadership, the group became one of the most highly regarded squads – and certainly the most familiar – in not only the National Football League, but all of professional sports.

The squad has been the subject of  made-for-TV movies and the selection process is chronicled in a reality TV series, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team on CMT.

Mitchell said that when choosing women to join the iconic squad, she looked for personality and character as well as wholesome beauty and dance skills.  She worked to achieve a diversity of size, looks and grace to “represent a cross-section of American women,” she said in 1985.

Charlotte Anderson, the Cowboys’ executive vice president and chief brand officer, called Mitchell “a pioneer in the world of professional sports” and said her creativity and innovation forged a path of style and quality that other NFL squads tried to emulate.

“Her impact on our home games remains to this day, and her inspiration will always have a presence within our organization,” Anderson said.