Cheerleading Pioneer, Charlie Kirk Mentor Jeff Webb Dead at 76

Jeff Webb, the Texas businessman who helped turn cheerleading into a national competitive sport and later became known in conservative circles as an early mentor to Charlie Kirk, died Thursday at age 76 after suffering a severe head injury in a pickleball fall two weeks earlier, according to Cheer Daily.

Turning Point USA announced Webb's death in a tribute that called him "a visionary who helped shape generations of young leaders and believed deeply in the power of community and country," adding that he was "a dear friend to Turning Point USA and Charlie" and "will be greatly missed."

Webb was remembered in conservative media and activist circles not only for his business success, but also for his support of Kirk, the Turning Point USA co-founder who was killed last September and remains a central figure in the organization's identity.

Recalling his first impression of Kirk, Webb said: "He had amazing drive. I was overwhelmed with his maturity, his intelligence. He just had so many incredible leadership qualities."

After Kirk's death, Webb praised the conservative leader in striking terms, saying he "had it all — charisma, faith, respect for everyone" and that the U.S. "may have lost a future president."

Webb also described Kirk as a "giant of the MAGA movement."

Outside politics, Webb's larger public legacy was in cheerleading, where Varsity and the Universal Cheerleaders Association credit him with reshaping the activity by combining traditional crowd-leading with higher-level athletic skills and helping create the structure that now defines modern competitive cheer.

Varsity Brands says Webb founded the Universal Cheerleaders Association in 1974, and company material says UCA later became the nation's largest cheer camp organization.

Varsity said in a statement after his death that Webb "played a pivotal role in shaping cheerleading as it exists today and in building a community that has impacted generations of athletes, coaches, and teams."

While at UCA, Webb helped establish widely recognized cheerleading skills and safety standards.

He shifted much of his focus in 2020 to international growth through the International Cheer Union, which received full recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 2021.

Webb's death closes a career that stretched from the sidelines to media and politics, but his name remains most closely tied to cheerleading, which he helped commercialize, televise, and expand for generations.

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