Patriots Cheerleading Director Tracy Sormanti dies at 58
Sormanti, a Rhode Island native, was in her 32nd season working for the Patriots.
Longtime Patriots Cheerleading Director Tracy Sormanti passed away on Friday at the age of 58, the team announced. Sormanti was in a three-year battle with multiple myeloma.
Sormanti, a Rhode Island native, was in her 32nd season working for the Patriots. She first joined the team as a cheerleader from 1983-84 and again from 1991-93. Shortly after Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994, he named Sormanti the team’s cheerleading director.
“We are grieving the loss of a beloved member of our family today,” Kraft said in a statement. “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 were lucky to have the greatest cheerleading coach on our sidelines for 27 years, making a lasting impact on our organization and our community.
Forever part of our Patriots family. pic.twitter.com/g8U89RjOhH
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 6, 2020
“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.”
Sormanti led the Patriots’ cheerleading squads at 10 Super Bowl appearances, visited 30 countries, and participated in thousands of community events. She also helped raise $400,000 for cancer research in a partnership with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through clinics she hosted.
During her battle with multiple myeloma, she “rarely missed a game or a practice,” the Patriots said.
Former Patriots quarterback and now radio analyst Scott Zolak shared kind words of Sormanti on Twitter.
“The truest of professionals. This breaks our hearts. I’ve known Tracy since our early days here in New England. She did wonders with the organization over the years as everything grew. A perfectionist, A very, very sad day,” Zolak wrote.
The truest of professionals. This breaks our hearts. I’ve known Tracy since our early days here in New England. She did wonders with the organization over the years as everything grew. A perfectionist, A very, very sad day https://t.co/hBVKKbBSCf
— scottzolak 🏈 (@scottzolak) December 6, 2020
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