Norwich had a cheerleading squad beginning as early as the 1930s, when its function was quite literal. They were a group of Norwich students–all men at the time–who were responsible for teaching and leading cheers in the stands during athletic events. One Guidon article from 1938 published an announcement from the head cheerleader alerting the student body of two new cheers the squad wanted to introduce at that week’s game. Maybe you should try one out next time the Norwich spirit moves you!
Norwich Guidon, October 1938
As far as we can tell, the squad remained all male up until the 1960s, when they started bringing Vermont College women to help cheer on the Cadets. This October 1967 Guidon article may refer to the first such occurrence–the editors clearly did not hold back in expressing the reasons for their delight in this development!
Norwich Guidon, October 1967 (click to enlarge)
Norwich Guidon, October 1967 (click to enlarge)
This week we added some great cheerleading photos from the 1980s to our digital collections. You can enjoy a sampling below.
Cheerleaders at a football game, 1980
Cheerleaders during Parents’ Weekend, 1981
Cheerleading team, 1988
Cheerleading team, 1989
–Mary Margaret
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