The NFL has not only some of the best players, but also some of the most attractive cheerleaders.
25 of the 32 NFL teams have a cheerleading squad as part of their franchise. These stunning women are known for their performances that combine music, dance, baton twirling, gymnastics, and other elements.
Cheerleading squads are so popular with NFL fans that they have become an integral part of the game broadcast. NFL cheerleaders differ from other sports in that they receive the most airtime and are shown before, between, and after plays.
They are sometimes played during timeouts and intermissions. Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders even had their reality show, “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader: Making the Team.”
We thought of making a list of the best NFL cheerleaders because most teams have such beautiful, sexy, talented ladies cheering them on.
We had many candidates to choose from, but we whittled it down to the 15 best NFL cheerleaders.
The Top 15 NFL Cheerleaders
This list was compiled with the assistance of reliable internet sources such as the world wide web.
Before we get into the specifics of the list, take a look at the table below.
| Name | Team |
| 1. Teri Hatcher | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2. Stacy Keibler | Baltimore Ravens |
| 3. Leah Van Dale | New England Patriots |
| 4. Sara Shahi | Dallas Cowboys |
| 5. Charisma Carpenter | San Diego Chargers |
| 6. Phyllis Smith | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 7. Lisa Guerrero | Los Angeles Ram |
| 8. Kristin Adams | Dallas Cowboys |
| 9. Bonnie-Jill Laflin | Dallas Cowboys |
| 10. Jenilee Harrison | Los Angeles Rams |
| 11. Kiana Tom | Oakland Raiders |
| 12. Tifanny Fallon | Atlanta Falcons |
| 13. Melissa Rycroft | Dallas Cowboys |
| 14. Amber Lancaster | Seattle Seahawks |
| 15. Camille Kostek | New England Patriots |
1. Teri Hatcher
San Francisco 49ers are the team.
Teri Hatcher, 57, is an American actress best known for her roles as Susan Mayer on the television series Desperate Housewives.
This Golden Globe Award-winning actress previously worked as a cheerleader for the San Francisco 49ers. In 1984, she joined the Gold Rush, the San Francisco 49ers’ professional cheerleading squad.
Hatcher studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater before becoming a cheerleader. She then concentrated on her acting career beginning in 1985.
Hatcher’s acting career took off after a cameo appearance on an episode of Seinfeld in 1993. And, while Hatcher’s cheerleading career is over, this list of the best NFL cheerleaders would be incomplete without her.
2. Stacy Keibler
Baltimore Ravens are the team.
Stacy Keibler is a retired professional wrestler, former cheerleader, actress, dancer, and model. Stacy Ann-Marie Keibler was born on October 14, 1979, in Rosedale, Maryland.
Keibler is best known as a professional wrestler for both World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (WWE). She is best known for her work as a cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Catholic High School of Baltimore was an all-girls school for Keibler. She joined the Baltimore Ravens cheerleading squad when she was 18 years old.
By 2000, Keibler was a full-time student, wrestling on WCW as a Nitro Girl, and cheering on the Ravens as a cheerleader. She then went on to become a professional wrestler in WWE.
3. Leah Van Dale
Leah Van Dale, better known by her ring name Carmella, is another former cheerleader who went on to become a professional wrestler in WWE.
Carmella was born on October 23, 1987, in Spencer, Massachusetts. She spent three seasons with the New England Patriots. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2010, she left her cheerleading career.
Dale auditioned for the Los Angeles Lakers dance team after leaving cheerleading. She was successful, and she appeared as a Laker Girl during the 2010-2011 season.
Leah signed a contract with WWE in 2013 and made her official debut as Carmella in an episode of NXT on September 4, 2014.
4. Sara Shahi
Dallas Cowboys are the team.
Sara Shahi, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, is the next charismatic cheerleader on our list. Yahoo Jahansouzshahi was born on January 10, 1980, in Euless, Texas.
Sara changed her name after hearing a song called “Sarah” in second grade because other children teased her about her birth name. During her high school years, she was the volleyball and basketball captain.
Shahi has also won a beauty pageant. In 1997, she won the Miss Fort Worth pageant. From 1999 to 2000, she was a member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Shahi moved to Los Angeles after a year after joining the cheerleading team to become an actress.
She successfully transitioned into acting and is best known for her roles as Carmen on The L-word in 2005 and Kate Reed in the USA Network legal drama Fairly Legal (2011-2012).
5. Carpenter, Charisma
San Diego Chargers are the team.
Charisma Carpenter is a former NFL cheerleader who went on to become an actress. She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 23, 1970.
Carpenter attended Bishop Gorman High School, where she was a member of a song-and-dance troupe that performed throughout the Las Vegas Valley. She went on to attend Bonita Vista High School and the Chula Vista School of the Creative and Performing Arts.
Carpenter held positions as a video store clerk, an aerobics instructor, and even a property manager. She then became a cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers in 1991. She did, however, relocate to Los Angeles in 1992.
Carpenter worked in over twenty commercials after the move before landing her first television role in 1994. Charisma then appeared in an episode of Baywatch.
Her notable character portrayals include Cordelia Chase in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-1999) and Kyra in Charmed (2004).
6. Phyllis Smith
Cardinals of St. Louis
Phyllis Smith, a former St. Louis Cardinals cheerleader, ranks sixth on our list of the best NFL cheerleaders. On July 10, 1951, the Cardinals cheerleader was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in 1972 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In the 1970s and 1980s, she worked as a dancer and cheerleader for the St. Louis Cardinals football team. Likewise, she was a burlesque performer.
After suffering a knee injury, Phyllis was forced to give up her dancing career. She then went to work as an actress and casting director in Hollywood, California. Smith’s first paid acting role was as an extra in the film Caddyshack.
Smith’s notable acting credits include the role of Phyllis Vance in The Office and a critically acclaimed voice role as Sadness in the computer-animated film Inside Out.
7. Lisa Guerrero
Los Angeles Rams are the team.
Lisa Gurrero, 58, is an investigative journalist, model, actress, host, keynote speaker, and former Los Angeles Ram cheerleader.
Gurrero was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in San Diego and Huntington Beach, California. She got her start in show business as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1980s.
Gurrero went on to work as an entertainment director for the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. Then, in the 1990s, she began her acting career. In Aaron Spelling’s Sunset Beach, she played jewel thief Francesca Vargas.
Before joining Fox Network, Gurrero appeared in several notable films. She even appears on the cover of the January 2006 issue of Playboy magazine, billed as “The Best Damn Sports Beauty.”
Since 2006, Lisa has worked as an investigative correspondent for the nationally syndicated news magazine “Inside Edition.”
8. Kristin Adams
Dallas Cowboys are the team.
Kristin Adams, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, is the next best NFL cheerleader. Kristin Nicole Adams was born in Plano, Texas.
Adams received his bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University. She joined the Cowboys cheerleading squad while still in college. Adam was a member of the 12-member Show Group team that traveled the world entertaining US military troops on USO Tours.
Adams, in addition to being a cheerleader, auditioned for the first season of American Idol. Kristin, on the other hand, was eliminated in the first round of viewers. She also worked as a top 40-morning radio co-host on KRBV in Dallas.
She also pursued an acting career, appearing as a reporter on a 2008 episode of Dirty Sexy Money and as a bartender in the 2009 Rock Slyde.
Adams is currently working as a singer, television personality, and entertainment news correspondent. In 2012, she co-hosted Real Music Live on NBC.
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9. Laflin, Bonnie-Jill
Dallas Cowboys are the team.
Another former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader makes our list of the best NFL cheerleaders. Bonnie-Jill Laflin is her name.
Laflin was born on March 15, 1976, in San Francisco, California. She is an actress, model, television personality, and sportscaster in addition to being a former cheerleader. She started dancing at the age of two and studied with the San Francisco Ballet.
Laflin’s cheerleading career began when she became a cheerleader for the Golden State Warriors. She was also a cheerleader for the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, where she won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers.
Laflin moved into television after a successful cheerleading career. During the 1998-1999 season of Baywatch, she had recurring roles. In 2000, she also appeared in Ally McBeal.
Bonnie-Jill went on to become a television personality after finishing her acting career. She hosted Hotlines on Spike TV and the United Rockcrawling & Off-Road Challenge Series on ESPN.
Laflin has also appeared in magazines such as FHM, Maxim, Sports Illustrated, ESPN magazine, Women’s Health, and others.
10. Jenilee Harrison
Los Angeles Rams are the team.
Jenilee Harrison is an actress and former Los Angeles Rams cheerleader. She was born in Northridge, California, on June 12, 1958.
Harrison began her show business career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams. She was a Ram cheerleader from 1978 to 1980.
Then, in the 1980s, she graduated from USC with a degree in education. It was the same year Harrison was named Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.
Harrison went on to star in ABC’s Three’s Company after graduating. She appeared as a replacement for Suzanne Somers in the sitcom “ditzy blonde.” Cindy Snow, Chrissy Snow’s cousin, was the character she played.
Harrison then starred in a string of bad roles and films. Another notable character she played in her acting career was Jamie Ewing Barnes in Dallas, which she played from 1984 to 1986.
11. Kiana Tom
Oakland Raiders are the team.
Kiana Tom is ranked eleventh among the best NFL cheerleaders. She is a former Oakland Raiders cheerleader, television host, fitness expert, author, actress, and businesswoman.
Kiana was born in Maui, Hawaii, on March 14, 1965. Her name and fit body have made her the international star of Kiana’s Flex Appeal.
For more than a decade, it was ESPN’s top-rated fitness show, reaching 80 million homes in 100 countries.
Aside from that, Tom made her acting debut in Cyber Bandits in 1995. Then she co-starred with Jean-Claude Vam Damme in her second film, Universal Soldier: The Return.
Kiana is also a writer. Kiana’s Body Sculpting is a 144-page fitness guide she co-authored.
It was released in 1994 and won the prestigious United States Sports Academy award for contributions to the health and fitness industry.
12. Tiffany Fallon
Atlanta Falcons are the team.
Tiffany Fallon is a former Atlanta Falcons cheerleader. Tiffany Nicole Fallon was born on May 1, 1974, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Fallon is a model, but before she became a model, she worked as a flight attendant, an Atlanta Falcons cheerleader, and with Playboy.
Fallon was a Homecoming Queen and Senior Class President in high school. She also participated in volleyball, soccer, and track and field.
The stunning cheerleader earned a degree in sports management from Florida State University. In 2001, Fallon has crowned Miss Georgia and placed second in the Miss USA pageant.
Fallon has appeared on television several times, the first being in Toby Keith’s country music video “Who’s Your Daddy?” She was also named Playmate of the Month in 2004 and Playmate of the Year in 2005 by Playboy magazine.
13. Melissa Rycroft
Dallas Cowboys are the team.
Another former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader joins our list of the best NFL cheerleaders. Melissa Katherine Rycroft-Strickland was a cheerleader for the Cowboys from 2006 to 2008.
Melissa was born in Dallas, Texas on March 11, 1983. She is an American television personality, host, and dancer in addition to being a former cheerleader.
After graduating from the University of North Texas, she auditioned for the Cowboys cheerleading squad. During her cheerleading career, Melissa appeared frequently on Country Music Television’s reality show Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.
Rycroft has also appeared on reality shows such as The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Melissa & Tye, Logically Irrational, and others. She has also hosted reality shows such as Bachelor Pad and Redneck Island.
14. Amber Lancaster
Seattle Seahawks are the team.
Amber Leigh Lancaster, born September 19, 1980, is a model, actress, interior designer, and former Seattle Seahawks, cheerleader. Her birthplace is Tacoma, Washington.
Lancaster attended Franklin Pierce High School and was crowned Miss Washington Teen USA in 1998. She then joined the Sea Gals, the cheerleading squad of the Seattle Seahawks football team.
Lancaster was a member of the Sea Gals for five seasons before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her dancing and modeling career.
She was a regular dancer on the syndicated dance show Soul Train in 2003. Amber also appeared in the music video for “The Real Thing” by Bo Bice.
Lancaster won the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009 and starred as Jenny Swanson in the MTV comedy series. Lancaster Interiors is the name of her new interior design company.
15. Camille Kostek, 15
New England Patriots are the team.
Camille Kostek, a former New England Patriots cheerleader, will round out this list of the best NFL cheerleaders. Camille Veronica Kostek, born on February 19, 1992, is a model, television host, and actress.
At the age of 19, Kostek began her cheerleading career with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. In 2013, she became a member of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders.
She was even featured on the franchise’s annual Swimsuit Calendar in 2014. Similarly, she appeared in Patriot Place’s advertising campaigns.
Kotsek even served as a cheer team spokesperson on various television shows and interviews.
In addition, as a Patriots ambassador, Kostek participated in the NFL Tour in China. She performed routines and taught youth cheerleading clinics there.
Kostek began co-hosting programs on ABC, CBS, and other networks after retiring from cheerleading. She also dabbled in modeling and then acting. In 2018, she made her film debut as a cameo in STX Entertainment’s comedy I Feel Pretty, starring Amy Schumer.
Conclusion
Cheerleaders add glam to the NFL with their glowing smiles, fantastic choreography, and shimmering pom-poms. With a smile on their faces, these beautiful women entertain us even in inclement weather.
During the often long and tedious timeouts and intermissions, the cheerleaders provide something extraordinary for the live audience to see. So, who do you think is the best NFL cheerleader?
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