Tracy Sormanti, Longtime Patriots Cheerleading Director, Dies At 58
BOSTON (CBS) - The New England Patriots sadly announced on Saturday that their longtime cheerleading director Tracy Sormanti passed away after a three-year battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells.
She was 58.
Sormanti was in the midst of her 32nd season with the Patriots before her passing.
We were lucky to have the greatest cheerleading coach on our sidelines for 27 years, making a lasting impact on our organization and our community.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 6, 2020
Forever part of our Patriots family. pic.twitter.com/g8U89RjOhH
A Rhode Island native, Sormanti joined the organization in 1983 as a cheerleader. She was a member of the cheerleading team from 1983-1984 and again from 1991-1993.
After current Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994, Sormanti was named cheerleading director, a position she held for 27 years.
Kraft released a statement on Saturday after her passing:
"We are grieving the loss of a beloved member of our family today. Tracy Sormanti was one of my first hires after I bought the team, and after nearly three decades, I can confidently say that there was no one more dedicated to her job or caring and compassionate about those she coached. Like all great coaches, she was meticulous in her preparation and brought the best out of her squads. We have had the good fortune of having some of the greatest coaches in NFL history grace our sidelines, but none did so with such dignity and grace like Tracy. She earned my utmost respect and admiration for the way her teams always performed, not just on the sidelines, but more importantly as Patriots goodwill ambassadors in our New England communities and on the many Patriots USO military tours she coordinated around the world. She truly loved this organization and we loved her. Her presence will be greatly missed, but she will never be forgotten.
According to the Patriots, Sormanti's cheerleading squads have performed at 10 Super Bowls, visited over 30 countries, and have been a part of thousands of community appearances.
Sormanti was known for her intense "bootcamp" audition process, which included everything from dance, to public speaking, to exams on the rules of football and Patriots history. Her Patriots Cheerleading program attracted hundreds of potential cheerleaders annually.
Despite her recent cancer treatments, the team says she "rarely missed a game or a practice and took great pride in seeing her squad perform on game day."
Sormanti leaves behind her longtime companion, Dennis M. Brolik, her sister, Terri Ford, brother, Timothy Madden, five nieces, and a nephew. Her funeral arrangements will be handled by Thomas & Walter Quinn Funeral Home.