The History Of The Raiderettes

Have you ever wondered about how and why the Raiderettes came about? The Las Vegas Raiderettes have the honor of being among the finest cheerleaders and dancers in professional sports. It’s been a long road getting the attention they deserve as more than beautiful women.  Let’s go back to the beginning…

 (Link to video on 1-22-21)

Most Raiders fans know that the Oakland Raiders Football team became the 8th AFL expansion team in 1960. Being a brand-new team near the established San Francisco 49ers, The Oakland Raiders were challenged from the start, finishing 1960 with a 6-8 losing season. Add having to play in 3 different venues that the first year, the attendance was also dismal. The attendance at the last 3 games of 1960 was:

Dec. 4 – Chargers @ Raiders   Attendance 12,061   (Lost 41-17)

Dec. 11 – N.Y. Titans @ Raiders   Attendance 9037    (Lost 31-28)

Dec. 17 – Denver Broncos @ Raiders   Attendance Under 7000   (Won 48-10)

Finishing that year losing $500,000, changes needed to be made. What else could be done to attract attendees? Their music director was Del Courtney, a jazz Big Band Leader, so he and his “Upbeats Band” were hired to do the show at half-time. Thinking that music wasn’t enough, it was suggested to Del that he add some girls or dancers for sex appeal.

Radio City Rockettes Influence

Knowing a retired Radio City Rockette, she and Del started visiting dance studios, thinking to emulate the Rockettes. After trying out these kids/dancers, 8 were chosen, and two were only 14 years old. The first program in 1962 had a blurb that said, “Our halftime production will be better than in 1961, with the addition of the Oakland Raiderette, a precision team modeled after the World Famous Rockettes of Radio City fame in New York City.”

The Raiderettes cheered at games for no money, but their parents were given tickets to the games. For the good of the team, they also did shows at the local tech center as publicity, also with no pay. This was the standard for sports with cheerleaders, including baseball and football. Soon after their debut, the Raiderettes were considered to be among the best.

Uniforms for the Raiderettes

Over the years, multiple uniforms were tried for the Raiderettes. Teams with cheerleaders in the 1960s had varied uniforms and equipment. Some teams used batons or gloves. Most had hats- the Steelers had silver hard hats and suspenders. The Dallas cheerleaders had tight gold pants, red fringed shirts, and white cowgirl hats until something happened in Dallas that forever changed the look of cheerleading.

A Dallas cameraman who loved women took what he called “Honey Shots” of cute women in the crowd every week. One week a burlesque dancer named Bubbles Cash attended a game was filmed in a micro-mini skirt blowing kisses to the men. Upon the staff seeing this, they went crazy. That was when uniforms became short, with skin showing wherever possible. The sexier the better. Cheerleaders were chosen for both looks and their dance ability from then on.

Cheerleading in the 1970s through the 1990s

Color TV’s became affordable, and lucrative television contracts followed. With men as the primary audience, of course, sex sells, which eventually made cheerleaders a great source of revenue. With it being a way for girls to meet husbands and others wanting a shot, pay for the girls was non-existent. All photo rights were given up, rules of conduct became books, and even mandatory etiquette classes were given.

After the fame of Farrah Fawcett’s bathing suit poster, a Dallas photographer made a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader poster that made the team $1.8 million, and the girls were paid nothing. A change was needed, and by 1980, cheerleaders didn’t talk about pay, but $15 per home game was common. Cheering at away games, playoff games, and mandatory public appearances were not paid. 

To Be Completed 1-22-21

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