Believe it or not, the high-flying, glitter-covered world of modern competitive cheer started with a bunch of guys yelling at a football game. Honestly, the timeline of when was cheerleading founded is a bit of a mess because people have been "cheering" since the Greeks, but the actual sport we recognize today has a very specific birthday. It wasn't a slow burn. It was a chaotic, spontaneous outburst of school spirit that happened on a cold November afternoon in 1898.
If you walked onto a sideline today, you’d see backtucks and complex pyramids. Back then? It was just Johnny Campbell.
Johnny was a medical student at the University of Minnesota. The Gophers were losing. Badly. The crowd was silent, sulking in their coats, and the atmosphere was basically funeral-like. Campbell, fueled by what I can only assume was a mix of desperation and too much coffee, jumped the fence. He turned toward the crowd, not the game, and started leading them in a rhythmic chant.
"Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-so-ta!"
It worked. The crowd woke up. Minnesota won. And just like that, the first "yell leader" was born. But while 1898 is the official answer to when was cheerleading founded, the roots go deeper into the ivy-covered walls of the Northeast.
The All-Male Ivy League Origins
Before Campbell made it official, Princeton had something similar brewing in the 1870s. Thomas Peebles, a graduate of Princeton, actually moved to the University of Minnesota and brought the idea of organized chanting with him. But Princeton is really where the "Pep Club" mentality started.
You have to realize that for the first twenty or thirty years, cheerleading was a "manly" pursuit. It was seen as a way to demonstrate leadership, grit, and public speaking skills. It’s kinda wild to think about now, but being a cheerleader at an Ivy League school in the early 1900s was a direct pipeline to the U.S. Presidency.
🔗 Read more: Men's Sophie Cunningham Jersey: Why This Specific Kit is Selling Out Everywhere
Dwight D. Eisenhower? Cheerleader.
Franklin D. Roosevelt? Cheerleader.
Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush? Both cheerleaders.
These weren't guys in skirts doing pom-pom routines. They were men in cardigans and megaphones commanding thousands of people. It was about authority. It was about prestige. If you were a yell leader, you were the big man on campus. The shift from this hyper-masculine leadership role to the athletic, female-dominated sport we see now didn't happen because of a trend—it happened because of a World War.
The Great Gender Shift of the 1920s and 40s
Women didn't even enter the frame until 1923. Even then, it was only at the University of Minnesota. It took another twenty years for the "man’s sport" barrier to truly break.
When World War II hit, the men went to the front lines. The sidelines were empty. Universities had a choice: let the spirit die or let the women lead. Obviously, they chose the latter. This changed the aesthetics of the sport forever. Women brought in gymnastics. They brought in a level of flexibility and dance that the "yell leaders" never really prioritized.
Once the war ended, the men came back, but the women didn't leave. The dynamic shifted from "yelling" to "performing." This is where the acrobatics started to take root.
Lawrence Herkimer and the Business of Spirit
If Johnny Campbell founded the concept, Lawrence Herkimer founded the industry. In 1948, "Herkie" held the first-ever cheerleading camp at Sam Houston State Teachers College. Only 52 girls showed up. But Herkimer was a visionary.
💡 You might also like: Why Netball Girls Sri Lanka Are Quietly Dominating Asian Sports
He's the guy who invented the "Herkie" jump (one leg straight, one leg bent). He also patented the first pom-pom—or "pom-pon" as he insisted they be called because he thought the other word sounded too much like a French dirty word. He founded the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA).
This is when the timeline of when was cheerleading founded transitions from a hobby into a multi-billion dollar business. By the 1960s, every high school in America had a squad. It was the peak of "Americana." But it still wasn't a sport. It was an accessory to the football team.
The 1970s: When Things Got Athletic
The 1970s changed everything. Title IX was passed in 1972, which forced schools to provide equal opportunities for female athletes. Interestingly, cheerleading often sat in this weird gray area. Was it a sport? Was it an activity?
While the lawyers argued, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders changed the visual language of the sideline. They moved away from the "girl next door" look toward a high-production, professional entertainment style. This pushed high school and college squads to get more competitive. They wanted to prove they were just as athletic as the players on the field.
In 1974, Jeff Webb (who actually worked for Herkimer) founded Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA). He wanted to see more stunts. He wanted pyramids. He wanted to see people flying.
The Birth of the Modern "All-Star" Era
If you're looking for the moment cheerleading became the monster it is today, look to the 1980s. This is when "All-Star" cheerleading was founded.
📖 Related: Why Cumberland Valley Boys Basketball Dominates the Mid-Penn (and What’s Next)
Before this, you cheered for your school. If the team didn't have a game, you didn't cheer. All-Star gyms changed that. These were private clubs where the only goal was competition. No football team. No basketball team. Just the routine.
This led to a massive spike in difficulty. We’re talking about double full twists, standing back tucks, and basket tosses that launch flyers twenty feet into the air. The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA) had to be formed just to keep kids from breaking their necks because the sport was evolving faster than the safety regulations.
Why the Date Matters
So, when people ask when was cheerleading founded, and you say 1898, you're technically right. But you're also missing the point. The "founding" of cheerleading is a series of reinventions.
- 1898: The Yell (The Voice)
- 1923: The Entry of Women (The Grace)
- 1948: The NCA and the Pom-Pon (The Business)
- 1982: The first televised National Championship (The Spectacle)
Today, it’s a global phenomenon. It’s in the Olympics (sort of—the International Cheer Union has Olympic recognition). It’s practiced in Japan, Germany, and Mexico. It has come a long way from a med student yelling at a bunch of bored Minnesotans.
Understanding the Safety Evolution
It's worth noting that as the sport grew, so did the injury rate. For a long time, cheerleading was statistically one of the most dangerous activities for young women. Because it wasn't always classified as a "sport" by state athletic associations, the coaches weren't always required to be certified in safety.
That has largely changed. Nowadays, the level of rigging, matting, and spotter training is intense. You can't just throw a person in the air and hope for the best.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Cheerleaders or Historians
If you are looking to get involved in the world that Johnny Campbell started, or if you're a parent trying to navigate the "All-Star" vs. "School" debate, here is the reality of the landscape:
- Check for Certification: If you're joining a gym, ask if the coaches are USA Cheer certified. The sport has a history of "learning by doing," but modern stunts require physics-based training.
- Decide Your Path: School cheer is about leadership and community. All-Star cheer is about pure athleticism and competition. They are two different worlds with different costs and time commitments.
- Learn the Basics of Stunting: Don't start with a backflip. The history of the sport shows that the most successful programs built their foundation on "clean" motions and solid "yells" before moving to the air.
- Watch the Classics: Go back and watch footage from the 1980s UCA championships. You'll see the transition from "dance-heavy" routines to the "power-heavy" routines of today.
The evolution of cheerleading is a reflection of how we view women in sports: from supporters on the sideline to elite athletes center stage. It started with a megaphone and ended with a full-speed tumbling pass. It’s a 125-year-plus journey that shows no signs of slowing down.