First Ladies of Football

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First Ladies of Football

Formation	1962; 59 years ago (1962)
Membership	36
Director	Jamilla Keene
Affiliations	Washington Football Team
Website	www.washingtonfootball.com/cheerleaders/
Formerly called	Redskinettes / Washington Redskins Cheerleaders (1962–2019)

The First Ladies of Football are a professional cheerleading squad representing the Washington Football Team of the National Football League. Formed in 1962, they are the second-longest-running professional cheerleading organization in the NFL behind the Las Vegas Raiderettes, who were founded the previous year, and the third-oldest behind the Raiderettes and the Baltimore Colts Cheerleaders, created in 1954.

Originally called the Redskinettes and previously referred to as the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders, they have cheered for the franchise since August 1962. The first director of the Redskinettes was .

In addition to touring with the football team, they have performed around the world. In 1982, they were invited to be the first NFL cheerleaders to perform in Asia promoting U.S. commercial products throughout Taiwan. The following year, the cheerleaders produced their first calendar, which they continued until 2018. In 1984, they were the fourth NFL squad to perform in a United Service Organizations (USO) tour entertaining the armed forces in Turkey, Italy, Sicily, Spain and the United States Sixth Fleet off the coast of France. Since then, they have participated in 65 Department of Defense (DOD) tours to entertain members of the U.S. military.

They were also the first cheerleaders in the NFL to form an alumni association. The Washington Football Team Cheerleaders Alumni Association (WFTCAA), formerly known as the Redskinette Alumnae Association (RAA) and the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Alumni Association (WRCAA),^[1] was founded in 1984 by former Washington Football cheerleader .

Notable members[]

• Maureen Gardner (1974–1976), wife of the 71st governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell^[2]
• Debbie Barrigan (1994–1995, 1999–2001), Blast! dance troupe member.^[3]
• Michaé Holloman (2002–2007), Miss Maryland USA 2007^[4]
• Monique Thompkins (2010–2014), Miss District of Columbia USA 2012^[5]
• Kelley Cornwell (1999–2000, 2002–2007) wife of former NHL player Jeff Halpern^{[citation needed]}
• Terri Crane-Lamb, founder of the First NFL Alumni Cheerleader Association (1984)^[6]
• Patricia Gauani, Miss Delaware USA 1997^{[citation needed]}

References[]

• McKenna, Dave, "Pom Pom Diplomacy: Redskinettes look back on cheering 'Gimme a U! Gimme an S! Gimme an A!'", Washington CityPaper, October 28 – November 3, 2005

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington Redskins Cheerleaders.

• Official website
• Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Alumni Association