As the Cougar cheerleaders compete in the National Cheerleaders Association’s Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida this weekend, here’s a look at cheerleaders from back in the day.
Fun fact: The “cougar sign” was actually a “V” sign, until Shasta I, the presiding cougar mascot, lost a toe in a cage door on her way to a game in the 1950s. The opposing team, the University of Texas, mocked UH by imitating the cougar’s injury. The Cougars soon adopted that gesture as a symbol of pride, in which Cougar cheerleaders hold high at every game for decades.
