“Home of the Huddle” Day proclamation 

As many people know, the football huddle was invented at Gallaudet College in 1894. The Bison played two other deaf teams that season, and needed a way to prevent their opponents from stealing their signals. Quarterback Paul Hubbard, 1894, is credited with the idea. 

Upon graduation, Hubbard took a job at Kansas School for the Deaf. As KSD’s football coach in 1899, he again used the huddle. Several college football teams in the Midwest took notice, and within a few years, virtually every football team in the nation had adopted the huddle. 

Gallaudet has been in the news again this fall because of its collaboration with AT&T to develop a 5G-connected football helmet. Coaches on the sideline can use a tablet computer to send plays to the quarterback, who sees them on a heads-up display inside his helmet. This innovation was used on a one-time trial basis on October 7, when the Bison hosted Hilbert College.  

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel E. Bowser proclaimed October 21 “Home of the Huddle” Day. The proclamation will be presented to the university tomorrow in a pre-game ceremony on Hotchkiss Field. Staff from the Mayor’s Office of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing will present it to Dean of Student Affairs Travis Imel, ’00 & G-’02, who will accept it on behalf of the University. 

The ceremony will be at approximately 11:35 a.m.