OSU Hires Cheer & Dance Coach, Aug. 14

Oregon State University Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes announced Tuesday the appointment of James Underwood as the Beavers’ cheer and dance coach. Underwood, a 2003 graduate of Oregon State with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family sciences, served as the Beavers’ cheer captain in 1999. He has spent the last 12 years as a social studies teacher at Thurston High School in Springfield, where he has also mentored the school’s cheer team. He was named the 2012 Oregon Cheerleading Coach of the Year, his teams won the Oregon School Activities Association title five times, and placed among the top three at the USA Nationals four times. Underwood is certified by the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA), the National Federation of State High School Association, the National Education Association, the Oregon Cheerleading Coaches Association, and the Oregon Student Activities Association. In addition to his OSU degree, he possesses a secondary teaching license from the University of Oregon and a decision education certification from Stanford University.