There’s a new Netflix documentary, “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders,” creating a lot of chatter about the beloved NFL cheerleaders. DCC is considered America’s favorite cheer team. Off the field, the DCC cheerleaders are engineers, nurses, entrepreneurs, law students, and moms. On the field, fans love the bold and confident cheerleaders donning their white boots, cut off shorts, and knotted tie front shirts embroidered with blue stars, especially the Black women.

Historically, the number of Black cheerleaders in the NFL has been lacking. There are the Black cheerleaders who pioneered the early days of the DCC, like Eunice Cicero in 1965, Mary Smith in 1970, and Vonceil Baker in 1972. Fast forward to today, while there are numerous women of color cheering in the NFL, fans would love to see more diversity in the professional cheering world. 

Current Cheerleaders 

Here are a few current and former Black Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

Chandi Dayle

A fifth season DCC, Chandi Dayle is from Oro Valley, AZ. She attended the University of Arizona, where she majored in Sports and Society and danced for the Arizona Pomline. As a biracial woman, she believes it’s important to celebrate diversity and wants to inspire people to be who they are.

Jada Mclean

Jada Mclean is a California native in her fourth season with the DCC. She trained in ballet, modern, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, swing, and tap dance. She was on the Palm Springs High School dance team for four years before graduating and joining the UC Davis Dance Team for two years.

Kelee Norris 

Texas native Kelee Norris is a third-year DCC. Her greatest motivators are her faith and her family. As a kid, she began dancing at a studio, and after high school, she performed as a Rangerette for two years at Kilgore College.

KayDianna MacKenzie

KayDianna MacKenzie, or KD, is a third-year DCC and a woman of faith. She has been dancing since she was two years old. For 12 years, she was a studio dancer. During her senior year of high school, her studio, Dance Dynamics, became 3x World’s champions. She continued pursuing her love for cheer at Texas Christian University as a TCU Showgirl for four years and was captain for her last two years.

Kally Bethea

Kally Bethea hails from Bennettsville, South Carolina. She recently finished her second year with the DCC and plans to be the director of a dance program in the future. She obtained her B.F.A and A.A in Dance from University of Florida/New World School of the Arts.

Camille Sturdivant

Camille Sturdivant is in her rookie season with the DCC. She put on her first pair of dancing shoes at two years old, and she studied various styles of dance throughout her early years. She graduated high school with an NDA championship title and went on to the University of Missouri, where she danced as a Mizzou Golden Girl.

Armani Latimer

Armani Latimer is in her fourth season cheering for the DCC. She is from Anderson, South Carolina and University of South Carolina graduate with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. Latimer danced competitively from the age of four all the way through high school. Afterward, she danced for three years on the Carolina Girls Dance Team at the University of South Carolina.

Alumni 

There are countless Black Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader alumni. Here are a few of the Black DCC alumni who have gone on to pursue other dreams since hanging up their boots.

Jacie Scott 

Jacie Scott is a very accomplished DCC alum. Not only did she cheer for Dallas for four years, but she also was an LSU Tiger Girl for three years and a Radio City Rockette. Currently, she works as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders.

Tyra Thompson

Phoenix native Tyra Thompson retired from the DCC in 2023. She cheered for the Grand Canyon University cheer team in Tempe before joining the team. Today, she is a pilates and fitness instructor in Arizona.

Ashlee Ford Watts 

From Shreveport, Louisiana, Ashlee Ford Watts joined the DCC in 2018. She cheered for five years, and now is a wife, mom, and dance instructor in the Dallas area.

Darian Lassiter

After four years of cheering for Dallas, Darian Lassiter is a recent DCC retiree. The Arizona native is a twin and a lover of travel, and she spends most of her time building her fashion line, Devon and Darian.

Katherine Purer

Now a Dallas-based realtor, Katherine Puryear was a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys for four years. She joined the team in 2019 and five years prior, she was inspired by DCC alum and fan favorite Jackie Bob Pearson. She is a true believer in the value of representation and breaking down barriers.

Kayla Hayes

Although she was not selected for the ‘23-’24 season, rumor has it that Kayla Hayes is back this year. She danced for four years for Butler University, and after she graduated, she joined the DCC in 2022.