Golden Girls Tradition
In 1957, Charles Emmons, the director of the band, added the sparkle to Marching Mizzou by founding the now-famous Golden Girls, a twirling line of six to eight majorettes and two feature twirlers.
During the 1960s, a golden age for Mizzou Football with 77 wins and five bowl games under the leadership of head coach Dan Devine, a small group of baton-wielding majorettes accompanied the Marching Mizzou at every Saturday football game. When Sandy Davidson (BA ’68, MA ’73, JD ’82), wore a silver-sequined leotard to the 1964 tryouts, Emmons exclaimed, “I’d like to see that in gold!”
Officially introduced the next year in 1965, the luminous gold sequin uniforms, reflecting sunlight to the stadium’s highest climbs, were a hit.
The group first danced in 1966, when then-director Dr. Alex Pickard had the girls throw down their batons and do the "Charleston." In 1970, the twirling line officially became the gold-sequined, high-kicking dance line that it is today.
Completing the dance team’s iconic uniform, the white boots debuted in 1971.
In 1987 former Mizzou Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione wanted to see more action during halftime and timeouts of men’s basketball games, so he invited the Golden Girls to perform at the Hearnes Center. The closer quarters forced Kespohl to trim the roster to 14 dancers.
During the 1980s and 90s, being a Golden Girl was a scheduled class, and members received two hours credit for their work. Practices were held four times a week preparing shows and two practices each week working on their dances. Performances included football and basketball games, pep rallies, parades, and private parties for groups at the former Reynolds Alumni Center.
To prepare for tryouts in spring semester, the varsity squad held a five-day tour between preliminaries and the final tryouts that consisted of performances at two high schools each day, to promote spirit for MU. After tryouts, the new squad attended a five-day summer camp in Nebraska and a band camp just prior to the start of school in the fall.
During the school year, girls are also called upon for other public appearances on campus, within the community, regional and even international events, often putting in 12 to14-hour days. Sporting events, campus spirit activities, and Homecoming wouldn’t be the same without this proud Missouri tradition.
The Golden Girls won the National Cheerleading Association Championship in 1991 under the direction of legendary coach and original Golden Girl Patty Grahm Kespohl who coached the squad for 33 years (1968-92, 1997). The uniform’s sequins were hand-sewn by team members and Kespohl.
Besides each girl receiving a jacket, plaque and ring for their 1991 championship victory, the squad was invited to represent the University of Missouri-Columbia in Tokyo, Japan. The Golden Girls performed at the Japan Classic during time-outs and half-times. Prior to this year, the collegiate cheerleaders had been the only squad invited to perform in Japan.
The Golden Girls defended their national championship title by becoming National Champions the following year in 1992 despite only four returning varsity members which were paired with five freshmen.
Under the leadership of former Golden Girl and Coach Shannon Wells Fry, the squad brought home a United Spirit Association National Championship in 2003.
In 2023, the Golden Girls were inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
