By Alex Marchand, BSc’18, MA’20, Western Mustangs Coed Cheerleader 2016 – 2020
In the arena of collegiate cheerleading, few universities possess a reputation as profound and prestigious as the Western Mustangs. Cheerleading is among Western’s proudest traditions.
You might have been introduced to them during your orientation week or perhaps a residence or faculty rally? Over the years, the Mustangs Cheerleaders entertained at Homecoming parades and sporting events, helping to instill pride in your alma mater. To this day, excellence remains with the Mustangs cheerleaders, as the team continues to be a fixture at events across campus and dominates competitions throughout North America.
Though the Mustangs were unable to compete or perform for most of 2020-21, the year did mark an important milestone for the squad: one century of cheerleading at Western.
Over the next four editions of The Scoop, I will guide you through this sport’s deep, winding history at Western. Hopefully, you will gain an even greater appreciation for Canada’s foremost tradition in collegiate cheerleading. In this edition, we will start from the very beginning, covering the first 25 years of cheerleading at Western.
The beginning (1920-1929):
Exploring the first decade of Mustangs cheerleading is a challenging task, as there was precious little documentation of the activity during these years. Most of our knowledge comes from short descriptions “cheer leaders” written in yearbook biographies. At present, we know of seven Western students who were bestowed the title of “cheerleader” during the 1920s. It is widely believed that F.G. “Doc” Thompson holds the distinction of being Western’s first cheerleader. In the 2001 book “Mustang Tales”, Bob Gage wrote that Doc Thompson and his “Rollicking Rooters” began entertaining spectators at Western rugby games in 1920 (p. 139). In Doc’s graduation bio from the 1924 Occidentalia, cheerleading is listed among the activities Thompson partook in while studying medicine at Western, supporting Gage’s assertion that Thompson was at the university over 100 years ago leading cheers for the purple and white.
An especially monumental tradition in Western cheerleading was born during the 1920s as well, albeit from an unlikely source. Arts student Mary Margaret Ovens was no cheerleader, though her musical talents made her renowned among her peers from the arts class of 1929.
That year, Ovens penned what is now known as Western’s School Song, then titled “School of Fame”. Following all Western Mustangs touchdowns, the cheerleaders religiously recite Ovens’ words to the tune of the Mustang Marching Band, having done so at every football game they have attended since the 1930s. The team’s performance of the song is the same today as it was all those decades ago, an indelible remnant of the earliest days of Mustang’s spirit.
Indeed, the pioneering rooters of the 1920s laid an important foundation for the future of cheer at Western. As the 1930s rolled along, cheerleading became more organized, and the team experienced an expansion in both membership and visibility.
Growth during depressing times (1930-38):
The earliest known photo of Western cheerleaders on the sideline was published more than 90 years ago in the 1931 Occidentalia. Three men stand together in a newly constructed J.W. Little Memorial Stadium, each clad in ties, loafers, thick cardigans, and white trousers. While styles have certainly changed, the job of these cheerleaders was very much the same as it is now.
Dubbed “The Noise Makers”, these few men were given high praise for their boisterous efforts: “Ah, you other guys who led us on, on to cheer our team to victory and gave such a splendid trio on the Queen’s Gaelic, can we ever forget you? No. Never. Your lives, your music, your voices live on and on…” (p. 133). A white-striped megaphone similar to those used by today’s cheerleaders is seen sitting in front of them, indicating their voices played an integral role in their cheerleading duties: “And, cheer leaders, you might also start now on lessons in voice culture, calisthenics (not that you really need it)” (p. 133).
Mustangs cheerleading had become a formal team affair by the 1930s, though team sizes remained limited between three to six members per season. By 1934 the squad had dropped their cardigans and replaced them with more suitable white sweaters, each displaying a large purple “W” on the front.
Evidence of growing appreciation for the cheerleaders can be found in a 1935 editorial from the University Students’ Commission (USC) giving “special consideration to the organization of cheer leaders, with the realization that much may be gained in enthusiasm and support of school teams” (1935 Occi, p. 131). In less than two decades, cheerleading had developed into a cherished and respected tradition at Western, albeit a predominantly masculine one. It was during the late 1930s that women truly began to make their mark on the sport.
The “co-ed” debate: who was Western’s first female cheerleader?
Perhaps no cheerleader in Western’s history has received a level of prominence and esteem as Doris Eagles. For over eight decades, Ms. Eagles has been recognized as the Western Mustangs’ inaugural female member. An iconic image of Doris soaring through the air was published in the 1939 Occidentalia, one the earliest photos depicting Western cheerleaders as being skilled athletes.
Doris’s tenure with the Mustangs lasted from 1938 to 1940, and a summary of the Arts ’41 class from that year’s Occidentalia proclaimed Doris as being “the first co-ed cheer leader” (p. 28) in Western’s history. This sentiment was repeated 12 years later in the book “Western – 1878-1953”, which listed 1938 as the year “Miss Doris Eagles became Western’s first girl cheerleader” (p. 154).
Recent discoveries, however, suggest a different individual may hold this distinction. In Mustang Tales, Bob Gage notes Helen G. Patterson as being an “assistant” of cheerleader Marshall “Marsh” Macpherson as far back as 1921 (p. 139). Helen was a Western student during this time, and her biography in the 1924 Occidentalia mentions her contributions to the university as a “cheer leader” (p. 42). This short paragraph, along with her graduation photo, is all the information we have about Ms. Patterson. Unfortunately for Helen, it was not until the late 1930s that the profile of collegiate cheerleading had sufficiently expanded, along with photographic and written documentation of cheerleaders. For these reasons, Helen’s legacy has been largely overshadowed by later female cheerleading pioneers. Today, however, we can confidently say that Helen was indeed one of Western’s earliest spirit leaders, a distinction for which she should be celebrated.
A much-awaited female presence (1939-45):
With Doris Eagles paving the way, the 1940s saw Mustang cheerleading’s status as an all-male activity become a thing of the past. History was made in 1941 as Doreen Busby, Ann Little and Fran Henry formed the first all-female Mustangs cheer squad. The “W” sweater remained a staple of the cheerleaders’ attire, with females trading white trousers for dark knee-height skirts.
Cheerleading would remain exclusively female throughout most of the war years, becoming co-ed once again in 1944-45. It was around this time that stunts and tricks were becoming a staple in the cheerleaders’ game day repertoire. The 1946 Occidentalia described crowds greeting cheerleaders with “happy cries of ‘cartwheel!’” (p. 21) during football games, but the cheerleaders’ stunts extended far beyond this. Take an image from the 1944 season, in which a member can be seen diving between the outstretched legs of an inverted teammate as he performs a headstand! It is incredible to consider how, even 75+ years ago, Western cheerleaders were performing feats of athleticism that remain impressive by today’s standards!
As the first quarter century of “canninnys” and “purple and whites” drew to a close, co-ed cheerleading was well on its way to becoming the spectacular, visually captivating athletic tradition it is today.
Check back in the next edition of The Scoop to learn about the evolution of Mustang cheerleading between the years 1946 and 1970.
Images & Additional Resources (Chronological Order)
- F. G. Thompson yearbook biography (1923-24; p. 76):https://archive.org/details/occidentalia24univ/page/76/mode/2up
- Helen G. Patterson yearbook biography (1923-24; p. 42): https://archive.org/details/occidentalia24univ/page/42/mode/2up
- Margaret Ovens yearbook biography (1928-29; p. 12): https://archive.org/details/occidentalia29univ/page/12/mode/2up
- 1930-31 Team (“The Noise Makers”): https://archive.org/details/occidentalia31univ/page/132/mode/2up
- USC Commending the Cheerleading Squad (1934-35):https://archive.org/details/occidentalia35univ/page/130/mode/2up
- Doris Eagles in action (1938): https://archive.org/details/occidentalia1939univ/page/142/mode/2up
- 1941 Occidentalia mentioning Doris Eagles as Western’s First Co-ed Cheerleader (middle paragraph, left page): https://archive.org/details/occidentalia41univ/page/28/mode/2up
- Cheerleaders dive-roll (1944; p. 212): https://archive.org/details/occidentalia45univ/page/212/mode/2up
- 1945 Occidentalia, Western School Song Sheet Music with Margaret Ovens’ Writing Credit: https://archive.org/details/occidentalia45univ/page/130/mode/2up
- 1946 Occidentalia mentioning cries of “cartwheel”! (p. 21, second paragraph):https://archive.org/details/occidentalia46univ/page/20/mode/2up
- “Western 1878-1953” (Author: James John Talman) Mentioning Doris Eagles as “Western’s first girl cheer leader” (p. 154): https://archive.org/details/western18781953b0000talm/page/154/mode/2up?q=doris+eagles