About THE AGGIE Cheerleaders

1960s

• Cheerleaders are already a visible part of Aggie athletics. A 1967 issue of The A&T Register runs a photo/caption naming the basketball cheer squad, showing the program was established well before the ’70s. Aggie Digital Collections

1970s

• In 1970–71 A&T leaves the CIAA to help found the MEAC—shifting rivalries, travel, and game environments that cheerleaders performed in. Wikipedia+1

• The 1973 Ayantee yearbook includes the cheerleaders, documenting uniforms and team makeup in the early-’70s. Flickr

• By the late ’70s, A&T cheer begins incorporating more acrobatic elements: a 1978 Register sports supplement notes the squad “added a new dimension… the use of gymnastic stunts.” Aggie Digital Collections

• Regionally, HBCU “stomp ’n’ shake” cheer emerges in the Carolina/Virginia corridor in the late 1970s—style roots that would shape A&T’s game-day identity. Andscape

1980s

• The anthropomorphic Aggie bulldog mascot debuts on the sideline in 1984, appearing with cheer at football and basketball—another piece of the modern game-day look. Wikipedia

1990s

• Coverage in The A&T Register highlights a more formalized program with tryouts, cheer camps, and community appearances—marking steady growth in scale and professionalism. Aggie Digital Collections+1

2000s

• Yearbooks and campus media continue to show an active program integrated into major traditions like Homecoming (GHOE), where cheer helps drive the stadium atmosphere and alumni spirit. Our State

2010s

• A&T sharpens a blended identity: game-day rooted in HBCU stomp ’n’ shake, plus the tumbling/stunts required for modern competition. Andscape’s 2018 feature also notes the “Gold Squad” as the premier campus team. Andscape

2020s (national breakthrough)

• 2023: first-ever appearance at NCA/NDA College Nationals—an historic program milestone. North Carolina A&T State University

• 2024: A&T wins the NCA national title (Intermediate Small Coed DI), the first HBCU from NC to do so. North Carolina A&T State University

• 2025: A&T repeats as national champions; athletics notes also spotlight the Aggie Dog and Aggietha mascots at NCA College Camp. North Carolina A&T State UniversityNorth Carolina A&T

What this arc shows

From documented squads in the ’60s, to stunt-forward routines in the ’70s, to the rise of HBCU stomp ’n’ shake aesthetics and the modern competition era, A&T cheer has evolved with the university’s athletics—culminating in back-to-back national titles that put decades of culture and craft on the national stage.