Photo Friday and Deaf Trivia

Today's photo comes with a bit of Deaf trivia. Did you know that the huddle, a staple in modern football, is a Deaf invention? The concept of the huddle was first started at Gallaudet University in Washington, D. C. Gallaudet, the only "Deaf" college in America, fielded a football team in 1896. The quarterback, Paul Hubbard, needed a way to relay the plays to his teammates in sign language without the other team seeing what he was signing, and thus stealing the play. He gathered his teammates around him in a circle so that he could relay to his offensive teammates plays that came from the sideline without giving them away to the defense. This caught on, leading many to erroneously name later hearing football legends as the "inventor" of the huddle (such as Amos Alonzo Stagg and Bob Zuppke). In other interesting Deaf inventions, we also invented the umpire's signal for a strike in baseball. This led to the development of the umpire's signals in general. The next time you watch football or baseball, take a minute to thank God for his Deaf creations!