DCC Alumni Spotlight – Jayne Ann Maxwell Kuhn

On February 25, I met Jayne Ann Maxwell Kuhn for coffee and had the pleasure of hearing about her journey as a DCC. Jayne only cheered for one year in 1980. Her journey started while she was a cheerleader at UNT. Tex Schramm and Suzanne Mitchell were walking around campus one day and saw her and thought she would be a perfect cheerleader. Tex and Suzanne were actually in the middle of Finals, and they didn’t have enough girls that they liked to put through to make the team. They needed two more girls so they went to UNT looking for the perfect all-American girl. Fast forward two days later, Jayne performed a country solo dance to “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”, and had to restart three times because she couldn’t remember her dance!

In 1980 the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were still using the oversized poms and dancing in gogo boots. Jayne was the end of the kick line and had the privilege to dance on the team with Judy Trammell.  Jayne also shared her experience about being in “The Love Boat” tv show. It was so much fun to hear all her stories and to see just how excited she was to share her experiences.

There were 36 cheerleaders and 4 alternates in 1980, and they practiced every day from 6pm-11pm, running to midnight sometimes. Jayne said her favorite dance or tag was the signature move “swirling hands”. She demonstrated right in the middle of the coffee shop. Jayne knew that swirling hands was not the technical name but said, “Judy would know exactly what I was talking about”.

Jayne asked about the team now, and loved to hear about my experiences and the things I value the most. She said some of the biggest differences were: 1) The branded practice clothes we have now versus the leotard they wore, 2) The investment the organization puts into the cheerleaders now versus back in 1980 and 3) The unlimited amount of workout/gym access we have versus trying to find classes in 1980. When I asked her what the most valuable piece of advice she received on the team,  she shared to be confident in yourself, and that confidence is the key to success.

Jayne’s favorite DCC tradition was the few minutes spent in the tunnel, they called it the dungeon, shared with teammates before entering the field for pregame. She also said she loved the swim calendar tradition, but back then it was at apartment pools and not a luxurious Mexican resort.

Jayne advised that I soak it all in and not to take any moment for granted. Her time on the team is some of her most cherished memories and didn’t want me to forget a single moment. Jayne is such a sweet and beautiful woman, and I was privileged to get to spend an afternoon getting coffee with her. This is a friendship that will last and I’m so fortunate that DCC made us sisters.

DCC Amber