Now It Can Be Told

Yale Fires a Blank, and Princeton takes Cheerleading to new Heights

By John Edie and Nelson Hendler

Back to the days of yesteryear and the fall of 1964 - - - Princeton’s football team has completed an undefeated season and it is time to prepare for the bonfire on Cannon Green for beating both Harvard and Yale.  The cheerleaders are in charge of coordinating the bonfire.  Traditionally, there is a stolen outhouse strung up a huge pole with an effigy of a Yalie. John Edie (I think) gets the idea of loading the crotch of the Yalie dummy with as many firecrackers and cherry bombs as possible.  He mentions this plan to Nelson Hendler who has a four wheel drive Jeep readily available to drive all over campus asking for firework donations — and we get A LOT.  In the process of tooling around campus on this fabulous errand, we go up and down Blair Arch steps in the Jeep at least once (maybe twice — Edie likes twice better, so twice). So . . . .the outhouse is lifted to the top of the pole . . .the Yalie dummy is constructed with old sweatpants and the proverbial upside down Y on the sweatshirt . . . . its crotch is crammed full with a hoard of fireworks. . . the dummy with a noose is hoisted up to hang down  just below the outhouse . . . . wood is piled up many feet high to the bottom of the outhouse - - - - the stage is set (but only a very select few are “loaded crotch aware” - Edie, Hendler, probably Bethune — maybe one or two others).   The time comes for the bonfire — A Saturday night I think.  The fire is lit . . . the flames increase and climb higher.  Just a few of us know what is about to happen (god I hope we had a couple of brewskis with us ! — can’t remember for sure).  Then . . . . . THAR SHE BLOWS . . .high fives (if those existed then) but at least the huge crowd watching is shouting with joy and amazement.    And it is all thanks to Nelson’s jeep and shortcuts up and down Blair Arch steps.

Cheerleaders are an important part of the story, and Princeton had the first ever cheerleading team. The '64 team illustrates the story, and '66 is there.

Back Row:  Findlay ’66 (Tiger); Karch, McDowell, Delaney, Handy (all ’67)

Front Row:  Theobald, Moya, Bethune (head cheerleader), Van Buskirk, Edie (all ’66)

Bob Moya adds: "Note that this photo first appeared on page 169 of the 1965 Bric-a-Brac.  I have no idea how the individuals writing the History of Cheerleading discovered it.  I dug it out recently when comparing notes with an Arizona friend who was on the UVA cheering squad (also all men) the same year." Note: Yearbooks are scanned and available for a subscription. Did you ever wonder how Jon Holman gets all those high school pictures to use on your birthday card? Anyhow, the fun part is that whoever chose to write the linked history of cheerleading selected a photo of our 64-65 cheering squad for the illustration

• The cheerleading team did not start in the 18th century. It may have been in the 19th century.

• Princeton did not play Minnesota in football in 1898.

• The locomotive cheer is not correct.

• Years ago Princeton not only had cheerleaders but they also had an official cheerleading section.