In 1972, Dallas Cowboys President Tex Schramm, Dee Brock (who hired "temporary" Dallas high school girls rather than the models that Tex wanted, and a creator contributor to the uniform design), Paula Van Wagoner, (also a creator contributor to the DCC uniform design), and Texie Waterman (Choreographer), changed the NFL sidelines forever when the DCC as we now know them, appeared on the sidelines. However it was still a few years later before the rest of the nation would catch on to this genius move. As the story has been for decades, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders phenomenon supposedly started when DCC Gwenda Swearingen winked at the camera during the Super Bowl X on January 18, 1976. I have viewed the game, and although the DCC are shown a few times, with at least one shot with Gwenda, I never saw such a camera shot of a wink by any DCC. In 2016, when NFL Films released TIMELINE “America’s Team” that the very famous wink was shown while the film featured a segment on the Cowboys cheerleaders. Although the cheerleaders were seen by millions during the 1976 Super Bowl, the famous wink actually happened less than two months prior on Monday Night Football on November 10, 1975. In the book "Dallas Cowboys: The Complete Illustrated History", there is a reference as to which game the wink happened. Also, in D Magazine (January 2010), the article, "The 35 Biggest Pop Culture Moments in Modern Dallas History", lists Moment #9 as "Cowboys Cheerleader Dominates Monday Night Football". As Gwenda was shown several times (dominates is a good word to use) during the 1975 Chiefs-Cowboys game), the cameraman seemed to favor her, and on one occasion Gwenda winked. Howard Cosell remarked, "I think she was doing that for you Frank". Here is that wink by Gwenda that started it all.
*Note this is an upgrade of the video since my original posting in 2018.
