Football huddle’s origins continue to leave impact on Deaf community

SULPHUR - History was made in an 1894 football game at Washington D.C.’s Gallaudet University, which is a college for students who are Deaf and hard of hearing.

Gallaudet’s quarterback Paul D. Hubbard did not want the opposing players from the other Deaf team to see him communicating plays during the game. To prevent this, he asked the Gallaudet players on the field to form a tight circle so he could speak with his teammates in American Sign Language without the other team seeing. This became known as a huddle.

The huddle is commonly seen in football and many other sports with multiple players on a team. For the Deaf community, the huddle is a symbol of pride.

“This has a deep meaning to the Deaf community because of the pride of innovation and problem solving since Hubbard created the huddle to keep the opponents from reading their signed plays,” said Superintendent Heather Laine, of the Oklahoma School for the Deaf.

Football games at OSD are a point of pride for alumni with games drawing fans into the stands who cheer on the OSD Bisons.

“Our fans, families and community are so supportive, and the players feed off that energy,” said Sean Thomas Sledd, who is OSD’s football coach. “Even without sound, the excitement is felt everywhere. You can see it in the signs, the cheering hands and the spirit on the field.”

Sledd has been coaching since 2019. He started under his father, Jason Sledd. He took over as head coach for OSD varsity football in 2024. He also coaches junior high boys’ basketball and grades fifth to eighth boys’ track. When he is not on the field, he is the high school science teacher.

He tells the story of the huddle’s origins to his football players because he feels it’s important to know the tradition came from the Deaf community.

“It gives them (the players) a sense of ownership, knowing that something they use every day on the field was created by someone who was Deaf, just like them,” Sledd said. “It connects them to a legacy that belongs to their community, and it shows them that Deaf people have made a lasting impact on sports at every level.”

According to Sledd, the huddle worked when it first formed because it gave the teams privacy, organization and unity.

The huddle has evolved in football over the years by using faster signals, no-huddle offenses and wristbands with plays written on them. The team can use technology to keep their plays a secret from the opposing players. Many modern offenses use a no-huddle style to speed the game up or keep the defense off balance. Different ways for players to communicate without huddling involve hand signals or calling out quick audibles. Community and unity between the players are still there, but the strategies are quicker.

“The huddle is more than a circle,” Sledd said. “It is a tradition that started with us and continues to shape the game today. It represents teamwork, communication and pride in the Deaf community.”

OSD is a division of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, a state agency, which assists Oklahomans with disabilities through vocational rehabilitation, education, employment, independent living programs and the determination of medical eligibility for disability benefits.

OSD has been located in Sulphur since 1908. The school provides residential and day school educational services at no charge for students who are deaf or hearing impaired. The school provides a range of outreach programs, including pre-school programs and onsite consultation for public school students, their families, public school districts and communities statewide.

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