The University of Illinois has long celebrated one of the nation's premier cheerleading squads, a program that has captured the national title at the National Cheerleading Championships and performs at Illinois football and men's and women's basketball events.

Since the 1920's, Illinois cheerleading has been an integral part of home Illini athletic events. During its first three decades, the cheer squad consisted of a handful of extremely athletic male gymnasts, performing acrobatic routines throughout athletic contests.

Quoting the 1930 Illio, "Upon the cheerleader's tact, performance, understanding of crowd and player psychology, and the way he organizes the junior and sophomore leaders under him, largely depends the reputation of the University for true sportsmanship as manifested in the reaction of its spectators, individually and as a whole."

Responding to student requests, the Illini cheer squad added female cheerleaders back to the cheer squad in 1950 with six men's cheerleaders and four women's cheerleaders performing somersaults, cartwheels and other tumbling stunts, in addition to spirit yells, including the popular tom-tom yell.

1950 Squad Members:
W. James Bunting
Lois Cederberg
Marilyn Lowe Griffith
Jeannien Gustavison
Ronald Levey
Albert Lenz
Mary Lou Schaeflein Long
Dorothy Rich McKain
Hale Newcomer
Henry Price
Virginia Sinclair Schlomann
Marilyn Berger Simon
Robert Sullivan
John Underwood