Wide World of Sports

Deaf Contributions to Sports History

Football Huddle

In 1894, the Gallaudet University football team invented the football huddle to hide their signs from the opponents.

The huddle is usually in a tight circle. This type of huddle is still in common use today, typically between plays in American Football as the quarterback assigns the next play to the offense.

Photo from Gallaudet Archives

Baseball Signals

William E. Hoy, a deaf baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Senators
claims that he was the reason for the hand count in baseball. He could not hear the call so umpires began raising their arm to indicate a strike and it soon caught on.

Resources

Written by Mohammed