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Cheerleading trailblazer Jeff Webb is dead at 76 following a “tragic accident” that reportedly occurred while he was playing pickleball. The former University of Oklahoma cheerleader is credited for turning that activity into a mainstream competition that was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 2021.
Webb, who’s also credited as a mentor to the late conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, served as President of the International Cheer Union and founded Varsity Spirit in 1974. A spokesperson announced his death Sunday in a statement crediting Webb for bringing cheerleading to 120 countries and supporting 55 million athletes worldwide.
That statement didn’t describe the circumstances behind Webb’s “tragic accident,” but a spokesman said Webb died surrounded by family members Thursday in Memphis, Tenn.
The Austin-American Statesman reported the Texas native died from a fall that occurred while Webb was playing pickleball.
“[Webb] helped pioneer the use of advanced gymnastics and stunts in cheer routines, launched the first national cheerleading championships, and brought the sport to national audiences through televised broadcasts on ESPN,” the announcement said.
Cheerleading industry publication Cheer Daily reported that an email sent to the Varsity Spirit community said Webb was hospitalized with a “severe head injury” a couple weeks before his family chose to remove him from life support.
He is credited with helping to establish safety guidelines and governing bodies to make cheerleading less dangerous.
Webb was also a conservative activist who once published at right-wing media outlets Human Events and The Post Millennial. He was at the White House when President Trump awarded Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom after he was fatally shot in September, according to The Independent.
Webb is survived by his wife, Gina Webb, and his children, Jeffrey Webb and Caroline Webb Mason.
“To most people he is a legendary entrepreneur — to us, he was our soccer coach and on-demand comedian, our mentor and father-daughter dance partner, our solace and our source of strength,” his son and daughter said.
Webb was buried during a private ceremony on Sunday, according to his representative. Plans for a larger event celebrating his life are in the works. The announcement of his death includes a quote from Webb about his lifetime achievements.
“I don’t look at it as ‘look what I built,’ but more how lucky am I to be part of something like this,” he said.
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Brian Niemietz; New York Daily News; (TNS) || ©2026 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
