Even though the position of Purdue’s Golden Girl was created just sixty-five years ago, this tradition of the gold-sequined twirler is one that is very well known, not only at Purdue, but across the country. The image of the Golden Girl has remained very consistent since its start, and Christy Stallings, the Golden Girl in 2004, still held this image fifty years later. Stallings, ready for a game-day performance, was “dressed in a short black dress with gold sequin trim, with sunny blond hair topped with gold ribbon” and was described as looking “every inch the Golden Girl.” [1] Although the uniform has been adjusted, the color of hair of Golden Girls has changed, and the style of tricks that are performed every game have advanced, the essence of the Golden Girl has remained the same. Purdue’s Golden Girl has, and continues to be, the premier twirler and embodiment of women’s sports traditions at Purdue University. 

     Purdue’s group of Bands and Orchestras consists of multiple bands, orchestras, and other ensembles that all have a unique composition and sound. One of the most well-known ensembles is the “All American” Marching Band, which is made up of over 390 musicians and is accompanied by many auxiliary groups, including the Golden Silks Color Guard, Purdue Golduster Dance Team, All-American Twirling Team, Silver Twins, Girl-In-Black, Miss Boilerette, and of course, the renowned Golden Girl. The position of Golden Girl was created in 1954 by the band director at the time, Al G. Wright. In 1954, Purdue had a very talented quarterback, Lenny Dawson, whom the press often referred to as the “Golden Boy,” since Purdue’s colors are gold and black. The name “Golden Boy” became well-liked by Purdue fans, so when Al Wright was considering names for his new twirling lead, he thought “Golden Girl” was the perfect fit. [2] Purdue now had two prominent leaders of the football team and band, the Golden Boy and Golden Girl. There are other stories regarding how the name “Golden Girl” was chosen. One story involves the idea that Al’s wife, Gladys Wright, created the name around the time the newspaper described Len Dawson as the “Golden Boy”. Another story is that Wright came up with the name at Purdue’s football game against Notre Dame in 1954 when he saw the new twirler in her all-gold uniform and thought the name to be appropriate. [3] The Golden Girl was the first stand-alone twirling position to be started, then the Silver Twins were created in 1960, the Girl in Black followed in 1962, and the competitive twirling team was created in 2001. [4] Each solo twirler or twirling unit had its own look and performance style. Although the first twirling position was not formed until 1954, a team of twirlers were started in 1939 when the director of the band, Paul Spotts Emrick, allowed women to join the band since “he felt there weren’t enough activities for women on campus. Emrick allowed them to march and twirl, but they weren’t able to play instruments in the band.” [5] Progress was made for women’s involvement in collegiate activities, specifically sports, by the creation of a twirling team, but women were still limited in what activities they could join. At this time, women were clearly viewed as being capable enough to twirl a baton at football games but not play their instrument at these games.