Long before the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were synonymous with NFL performances, another Texas team cemented dance as a halftime tradition. Started in 1940, the Kilgore College Rangerettes introduced football fans to the art of precision dance as the nation’s first drill team.
For more than 80 years, the Kilgore Rangerettes’ high-flying kicks and precise choreography have been the blueprint for halftime shows across the state. The Rangerette Showcase and Museum, opened in 1979 on the Kilgore College campus, documents the team’s rise to stardom.
Founded by Gussie Nell Davis, the Rangerettes were the solution to break-time boredom at football games. Kilgore College’s Dean B.E. Masters noticed fans leaving the stands during halftime, and he wanted to create a show that would keep fans in their seats. In September 1940, Davis’ new creation—an all-female precision dance team—made their debut.
“She created this phenomenon, this drill team industry,” says Megan DeHoyos, manager of the Rangerette Showcase and Museum, says. “There had never before been girls dancing on the football field.”
The group’s first performance was a success, and the Rangerettes were officially born. This fall, the Rangerettes’ 87th line will join the team. Unlike the first Rangerettes, today’s members are joining the legacy of a world-renowned team. The team’s blue skirt has been shortened over the years, but the red blouse, white belt and arm gauntlets, and Texan classics of boots and a cowboy hat that make up the iconic Rangerette uniform have remained unchanged. Instead of just performing on Kilgore’s home field, their performances stretch to shows across the U.S. and around the world, including past stops in France, Japan, and Switzerland.
Inside the museum, a 12-foot-tall “K girl”—the official Rangerette pose with both arms stretched upward and a toe pointed to the ground—greets visitors. Guests can learn about Davis and track the team’s history on a timeline, marvel at displayed Rangerette props and costumes, and watch recorded Rangerette performances on displays around the museum. Plus, they can hear firsthand accounts from real Rangerettes: DeHoyos and museum docent Barbara Harmon Malm.
“They do get the history of the organization and what we have on display here, but they also get the unique perspective of two former Rangerettes who actually were a part of this program,” DeHoyos says. “It’s always fun to share with our guests that yes, I was a real Rangerrette.”
Today, the Rangerettes are more than a Lone Star classic. They’ve performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, at presidential inaugurations, and across the globe. With a former Rangerette at the helm, the Rangerette Showcase and Museum is preserving the legacy of a Texas-born first that has gone worldwide.
“The Rangerettes are the first of its kind,” DeHoyos says, “and what came after has been such an incredible ripple effect to see blossom in the state of Texas and outside of the state of Texas.”
