Meet 4 U.S. Presidents Who Were Also Cheerleaders

As Commander and Chief of the Army and Navy, the President of the United States leads and supports his country, including its people and military. 

Similarly, the captain of the cheer team leads and supports her squad to cheer on fans and their sporting teams. You might say the qualities and responsibilities between the head cheerleader and the President are significantly similar. Here are four former U.S. Presidents who were also cheerleaders.

George W. Bush

Not only did he serve as president of the U.S. (twice), George W. Bush served as head cheerleader on his high school cheer team his senior year at Phillips Academy. Bush continued his cheer career in college at Yale from 1964 to 1968. 

‍Dwight D. Eisenhower

Before he became the 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower was a five-star general in the U.S. Army and served in both the First and Second World Wars. Prior to his service, Eisenhower attended the U.S. Military Academy and participated in a variety of sports, including as halfback on the football team. His football career was short lived however when Eisenhower tore his knee in the next game so he joined the cheerleading squad and cheered for his team instead. 

Ronald Reagan

While in college, Ronald Reagan was on the cheer team and involved in drama and politics as well, which later helped him in his career, both as an actor and president. Reagan served as 40th president of the U.S.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) served as the 32nd U.S. President from 1933 until his death in 1945. FDR is the only president in history to win four presidential elections and during his 12 years in office, he led his country through the Great Depression and toward victory in the Second World War. Although he struggled with his health towards the end of his life — he  contracted polio which caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down — Roosevelt was quite the athlete in his younger years and was a member of Harvard College's cheer team from 1900 to 1903. 

Photo credits: Courtesy of Flickr, United States Cheerleading Association’s Facebook