MOST HEARTBREAKING” Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Director Kelli Finglass have just resign from the team and announce leaving given 3 reasons that…👇👇👇
In an exclusive interview with E! News, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders director Kelli Finglass addresses the body image concerns and breaks down the lengthy audition process.
Kelli Finglass is back in the spotlight in a major way with the release of Netflix’s new series, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. While many are just discovering the lore behind becoming a part of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders squad, Kelli Finglass single-handedly pulled back the curtain on the organization all the way back in 2006.
The iconic Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are what they are today in large part because of Kelli’s contributions to the squad, but where did it all begin and where is Kelli now? We’re here to dive into all the nitty-gritty details behind Kelli Finglass and her role as the Director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Was Kelli Finglass a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader?
Hailing from Lindale, Texas (the same hometown as Miranda Lambert!), becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader was the natural next step in Kelli’s dance career. Kelli was a part of the DCC squad from 1984 until 1989. She was the first cheerleader to ever be invited back to the team without going through the audition process, something that would never fly now with Kelli leading DCC auditions and training camp.
Kelli was just 19 years old when she joined the team. She cheered for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders for a complete five seasons, retiring at the age of 24, younger than many of the modern-day rookie candidates! Kelli, who was unmarried during her DCC tenure, cheered under her maiden name Kelli McGonagill.
She did not cheer on the same squad as her right-hand woman, Judy Trammel, although Judy was the team’s assistant choreographer at the time. Judy was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader from 1980 to 1984 and became the assistant choreographer the same year Kelli joined the team in 1984. As we learn in the Netflix docu-series, Kelli was a part of the same team as the moms of current DCCs Madeline and Victoria.
After being on the DCC squad for five years, Kelli retired from cheering, but she didn’t go far. In 1989, the year she retired, Kelli was appointed assistant director to the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. She attributes Jerry’s daughter Charlotte with securing her this job. She served as the assistant director in 1989 and 1990. In 1991, Kelly was promoted and became the Director of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.
If that position sounds familiar it’s because that is the very same position Kelli holds today in 2024. Since joining the Cowboys franchise, Kelli earned a bachelor’s degree in International Marketing from the University of North Texas and studied modern dance at TCU.
Kelli made it her mission as the Director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to transform the squad from a financial burden to a profitable branch of the franchise. From there the cheerleaders began posing for swimsuit calendars and selling merchandise. Eventually, the team landed their own show on CMT.
Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team first premiered in 2006 on CMT, chronicling the cutthroat process of the DCC squad selection from training camp to makeovers to the official yearly team reveal. Kelli served as the executive producer of the CMT show, which ran for 16 seasons. The show was finally cancelled in 2021 and the idea was then replicated by Netflix.
