Anthony Best joined the cheerleading coaching staff as choreographer in the fall of 2003.
He helped the team win its first ever national cheerleading title in 2011, the NAIA Small Coed crown at the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Team Championships. The team won its second national title in 2015 by capturing the Large Coed Cheer Division II Championship, and went back-to-back with the Small Coed Division II crown in 2016.
Prior to the University moving to NCAA DII, the cheer teams won 11 Heart of American Athletic Conference titles with his assistance from 2004 to 2011 between the Coed and All-Girl squads, and the program has expanded from one competition team to three national competitive teams, plus an additional sideline cheer squad.
Best is also the current choreographer at the University of Missouri-Columbia and has consistently led that squad to top ten finishes since he started there in 2001, including a top five finish in 2011.
Best has been part of the cheerleading world since 1993. After cheering in high school, he was a three year captain at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has been head camp instructor for the NCA for seven years and has coached well over 300 national championship titles in all-star cheerleading since he began coaching choreography in 2001 at his alma mater. Many of his high school teams throughout Missouri and Illinois have ranked in the top five in state competitions.
Best has been co-owner of Cheer Legendz since it opened in 2006 and has earned invitations to the Cheerleading World Competitions as coach of the Cheer Legendz Pumaz team every year since 2007. He is USASF Level 5 safety certified in stunts, tumbling and baskets and is also AACCA certified.
He earned an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Missouri in 2001.
May 2016
