Dolores McAda
Delores McAda was right there in the original seven, stepping onto Texas Stadium in 1972 with that fringe and fire, helping turn a sideline gimmick into a revolution. She stuck through 1973 season too, a true veteran in an era when most lasted one game. By then the squad had ballooned to fifteen cheerleaders, but she kept the spirit alive-kicks sharp, smile wide-until a sudden illness cut it short in nineteen seventy-five.
Dolores passed away on June 19, 1975 at age 25. No obituary made the news, she wasn't famous, just first. The squad still honors her every January with a candle at their reunion dinner. Sometimes, that's all the goodbye you get when history happens too fast. Fans still whisper about her like she's watching from the end zone.
