Top 10 Influential Men Who Were Cheerleaders
Emily Bell Quick Links
This leads me into cheerleading. There is no question that today, cheerleading is an activity that is very female-dominated. I’m not complaining, either. As an avid fan of the NFL, I can honestly say, in a game featuring two teams I don’t care about, a great cheerleading squad is something that can keep me from changing the channel. Male cheerleaders, however, would just be an irritating sight on Sunday afternoon. But as history demonstrates, in previous decades cheerleading took on a different form, being a mostly male venture, with little in the way of dancing around and skimpy outfits. In fact, until the 1920’s cheerleading was primarily male and it was only around World War Two (when most of the men were involved in that effort) that women actually took over. Even after the war, men were still heavily involved with the activity.
With that, here is a list of ten influential men who were cheerleaders at some point in their lives and their net worth. For those who are still alive, or died recently, we used net worth stats from this site, and for those US Presidents who died decades ago we found a Time Magazine article that detailed the net worth of US Presidents adjusted to 2010 US dollars.
10. Rick Perry – Net Worth: $3 Million
The current Governor of Texas is our number ten on this list with a net worth of just a shade over $3 million. He is currently the second longest serving governor holding office. Perry's time as governor has seen involved his opposition of abortion measures, critical comments regarding the United States’ treatment of homosexuals, in addition to advocating a tough stance on crime, and supporting the death penalty. If you’re not a fan of Perry now, try this on for size. During his time in office, he has presided over the most executions of any governor in U.S. history. Enough about his politics though, he was a science major at Texas A&M from 1968 to 1972, who was also an active member of the school’s Yell Leaders.
9. Dwight D. Eisenhower – Net Worth (Adjusted to 2010 Dollars): $8 Million
During his years as President of the United States, Eisenhower had a striking resemblance to Elmer Fudd, and given the fact that he held office in the 1950’s, I have to imagine him sneaking around the White House in a hunting outfit, whispering “be vewy vewy quiet, I’m hunting for communists.” But enough silliness, Eisenhower in actual fact, was a quiet opponent of Joe McCarthy and his witch hunting. He is equally well-known for being the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War Two, during which he was the leader in planning and executing the invasions of North Africa and France. Prior to his military and political career(s) he was a cheerleader at West Point, after injuring his knee and being unable to play football.
8. Ronald Reagan – Net Worth (Adjusted to 2010 Dollars): $13 Million
Everybody knows that Reagan was an actor before he became President. But not everyone knows that while at Eureka College, the father of Reaganomics (a former economics major too, so he obviously knew what he was talking about) was not only involved with politics while at the school but also participated in cheerleading. This was of course in the late 1920’s and early 30’s; years before his film career, service in the armed forces and decades before he became the President.
7. George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush – Net Worth: $26 Million and $25 Million
That’s right, the United States’ former Commander in Chief for most of the Iraq War and the conflict in Afghanistan was a cheerleader while he studied at Phillips Academy. Prior to his 2001-2009 terms in the Oval Office, George W. Bush was a baseball player, football player and led the cheerleading squad in high school and continued to cheerlead like his father while at Yale. Say what you will about the guy, people have called him stupid, lazy, and a bad President overall, but watch him talk and don’t even try to tell me he isn’t charismatic. With regard to Bush Sr., he was a cheerleader much like his son and his father, Prescott Bush, while attending Yale.
6. Franklin Delano Roosevelt – Net Worth (Adjusted to 2010 Dollars): $60 Million
I’m not going to make any polio jokes here, as those would be in very poor taste. Before he became the President of The United States, who presided over much of the country’s fighting during the Second World War, FDR was a cheerleader at Harvard. His Presidency was one of turmoil, having inherited the leadership of the United States during the Great Depression. His New Deal proved to be somewhat successful and in 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US came to be involved in the Second World War. He did not however, order dropping the Fat Man and Little Boy bombs that would end the war. That was Truman, for those whose American history is not 100%. If he had made the order, would he have shouted to his staff “give me an N! Give me a U! Give me a K! Give me an E! What does that spell”? I highly doubt it and either way, maybe not a topic to crack jokes about.
5. Steve Martin – Net Worth: $110 Million
Interesting fun fact: the nuclear bomb drops that ended the Second World War was just mentioned and Steve Martin, the number five on this list was born on August 14th, just eight months and five days after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. On to a happier topic, the man who would become one of the most popular actors, comedians, and writers of the last five decades was a cheerleader in high school, in Garden Grove, California.
4. Samuel L. Jackson – Net Worth: $150 Million
One of the more recent members of our list, Samuel L. Jackson attended an (at the time) all male university and actually joined the cheer squad because it was a simple way to meet women. Good choice, as he actually met the woman who would later become his wife while cheerleading for his school; Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was once quoted as saying, before a game “YES I THINK THEY DESERVE TO CHEER! AND I HOPE WE WIN THE GAME!” That’s not actually true, it was just a paraphrase of his very memorable courtroom outburst in the amazing film A Time to Kill.
3. Michael Douglas and Kirk Douglas – Net Worth: $188 Million and $60 Million
Another father-son duo who were both on cheerleading squads, we see Kirk Douglas and his son Michael, who is now married to Catherine Zeta-Jones. They both made their money in films, for those who are unfamiliar. Kirk Douglas was a cheerleader for Amsterdam High School in New York prior to his military service and his son Michael was a cheerleader at the Choate Preparatory School prior to his acting and producing career.
2. Mitt Romney – Net Worth (Estimated): $190-250 Million
Mitt Romney is possibly most famous for recently running against Barack Obama in the most recent Presidential election. Since then, he has been somewhat quiet. Before his presidential campaign, he was the Governor of Massachusetts. He was also a very successful businessman; working for a couple of private equity and consulting firms. Prior to his business and political career, he was a cheerleader at Cranbrook School, in Michigan.
1. Aaron Spelling – Net Worth: $300 Million
Aaron Spelling, a successful actor and one of the most prominent producers in television history, is our number one on the list of successful men who were cheerleaders. Before his acting and producing career, which included producing Charlie’s Angels, Beverly Hills, 90210 and 7th Heaven, he attended Southern Methodist University, at which he was the leader of their pep squad.
