DCC Alumni Spotlight – Brittany Evans

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader alumni, Brittany Evans, is one of the most upbeat, bubbly people I have had the chance to talk to. It was such an honor getting to interview her and hear about her four-year experience as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. From being Rookie of the Year her first year to being Veteran of the Year her final year, Brittany remains so thankful and humble about all of the incredible opportunities she got to be a part of. Brittany currently lives in Texas and is a proud mom of her three kids. She has also coached cheer at her oldest daughter’s school for the past three years.

Brittany grew up in the small town of Pearl, MS. From a young age, she always enjoyed performing whether dancing, cheering, or being a part of a show choir (where she performed alongside Lance Bass from NSYNC!). Throughout high school, she was on her school’s cheer team and took dance technique classes outside of school as well. Cheer was also a family tradition, as Brittany even had the same cheer coach her mom had from when she was a cheerleader in high school!

After high school, Brittany attended Ole Miss and was a Rebelette, the school’s dance team. During the summer before her junior year, she went to New York and lived with two college friends. She was doing an internship for Broadway Dance Center and dancing several hours every day. Just for fun, she decided to go to a Disney Cruise audition while she was there and ended up making it to finals. Before final decisions were made, her now husband, Jeremy, flew to New York to propose! She said “yes,” and the newly engaged couple flew back to Mississippi, where Brittany continued her classes and dance team during the fall. However, she ended up getting an unexpected call over Thanksgiving break from the Disney Cruise audition saying that she got the part, and they needed her to be in Canada in two weeks! Even though they were recently engaged, Jeremy was extremely supportive and encouraged her to go experience this amazing opportunity. And just like that, two weeks later she was in Canada training for the cruise performances. She had a blast on the cruise, working everyday and dancing every night for nine months. She then returned to Ole Miss to finish up her studies, and soon after got married.

Brittany started to watch the DCC Making the Team show around the time she graduated and decided to just go for it, never thinking she would actually make the team. Her first year auditioning was the last year the Cowboys were at Texas Stadium and the audition line wrapped around the building. “What am I doing?” she thought, not knowing what to expect at all when she walked in. She made it through the first two rounds and had a two-week break before the finals round. Brittany had been working through a knee injury throughout the audition process, so she did everything she could to keep it in check before finals. She successfully made it through finals, stayed in Texas for the training camp, and then started her unforgettable journey as a DCC.

Brittany cheered for four years (2008-2012) and was an All Star for three years, a tradition where veterans are invited back after retirement to attend extra appearances and games. After the completion of her first year as an All Star, she had her first child. She will never forget Shelly Bramhall calling her after she had her baby and asking if she wanted to do All Stars again – Brittany thought she was kidding, but she was completely serious! Before she knew it, Brittany was back on the field at a Cowboys game just shortly after having her baby… talk about a superwoman! Brittany was also a proud Show Group member all four years she cheered. She got to travel to Korea her first three years and perform with the Show Group, but her final year she couldn’t make it because of her knee injury. It was a challenging time for Brittany, but she remained positive and pushed through throughout her fourth and final year, before her eventual knee surgery.

One of Brittany’s most crazy memories was when three of the girls got to go on a tour traveling with the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There were sports players, American Idol winners, comedians and several others who joined them in traveling to several countries, including Afghanistan, Germany, and Italy. She remembers landing on top of an aircraft carrier and never being in one country for longer than a night. In Afghanistan, there were bomb sirens going off one day, and they had to rush to the bunkers and take cover. The girls had on bullet proof vests and were down in these bunkers holding their pom poms, just praying nothing bad was going to happen! Luckily, they made it out alright. They were in great hands and had bodyguards, but it was just an experience she will never forget. Aside from the scare, she felt such joy getting to perform for the military men and women and put a smile on their faces. “Everyone looked so young and I can remember just bawling afterwards thinking, ‘what did they just get back from?’” The troops were so thankful to have the DCC there and just knowing that people back home were thinking about them – It was truly a heartwarming and eye-opening experience for Brittany.

Something that was so unique and special to hear about was that Brittany was one of the leaders to actually choreograph our current signature routine to ‘Thunderstruck.’ Since that year was the opening year of the new stadium, they had so many artists perform there for halftime and the DCC would learn new halftime performances, pregame routines, and quarter change dances almost every game! When they performed with Tim McGraw her third year on the team, they created Thunderstruck. Judy brought the music and the group leaders put choreography together – Little did they know that their choreography would become iconic. Thunderstruck soon became a fan favorite and they started performing it for every pregame.

Brittany truly left a lasting legacy as a DCC. She accomplished so much in just four years and was awarded many prestigious honors like Rookie of the Year, show group, second group leader, group leader, and Veteran of the Year. Though all of these accomplishments are so special to her, there is one highlight she still can’t believe she was chosen for – Pro Bowl Cheerleader. The year she was chosen, the Pro Bowl was held in Hawaii. She can remember everyone saying the Lord’s prayer before heading out to the field as they were about to announce who was going to represent the DCC in Hawaii. One of the older girls she looked up to came and put a Hawaiian lei around her neck and Brittany was truly in shock – “I almost passed out.” This was her most proud accomplishment because she remembers looking around at her teammates she looked up to so much in that moment and it just meant the world to her. Brittany said, “When I look back on it, I’m like ‘I can’t believe that really happened.’” Pro Bowl was one of the best weeks of her life and she felt truly honored to serve her team in that special way.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders truly helped shape Brittany into who she is today. She talked so highly of her directors, leaders, and teammates and how they were always so encouraging and uplifting. “You have such a special bond when you’ve made it through such a hard process together,” Brittany said. She is still best friends with so many of her teammates today. She laughed and said, “If I had not been married before DCC, I would have had so many more bridesmaids!” Brittany misses performing at games and tours, but she mostly misses all of the late night practices and being with her friends every night. Being a DCC taught Brittany to be confident in who she is – “It would be so boring if everyone on the team was exactly the same, so it allows you to embrace your own uniqueness and strengths.” Everyone is beautiful in their own way and comes together to make this incredible team. Her advice to anyone on the team is to just be so grateful for every opportunity because you will look back on it and remember how incredible of an experience it is to get to be on the team, surrounded by so many amazing people. “Stay true to who you are and know that you were chosen for a reason.” She encourages me to enjoy every moment because “it passes by so quickly. You never know what the future holds, so always give 100% and stay thankful and humble.” Brittany speaks from her heart and will forever be a role model to me and so many others.

DCC Jessica