Gallaudet long on football tradition
College for deaf set to play CSC
|
|
Gallaudet University's Christopher Green (left) watches as teammate Richard Dehan signs during Friday's practice at Spartan Stadium in Castleton. Albert J. Marro / Rutland Herald |
Toolbox
By Tom Haley STAFF WRITER - Published: September 26, 2009
When Ed Hottle was making his decision to leave his post as head football coach at Calvert High School in Prince Frederick, Md., to become head coach at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., there were concerns, questions and reservations.
"I did not have any previous experience with deaf folks, so there was some concern," he said. "But it's still football. It's what you love."
In his fifth year, Hottle is at home. He has become fluent in sign language and now it's just football.
The Bison are in town to take on Castleton State College today at noon at Spartan Stadium on homecoming weekend.
Gallaudet is the world leader in liberal education and career development for undergraduate students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The school also boasts an international reputation for graduate programs it provides for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Hottle's football team has only one player with normal hearing and he is in the interpreter program, pursuing a career to work with the deaf population.
"We still do have communication issues because we have turnover on the staff year to year," Hottle said. "I mentor the staff members and communication is always on our top-10 list of things to be aware of."
Gallaudet has a long, storied history in football. It was in 1894 that Gallaudet quarterback Paul Hubbard is credited with inventing the huddle. He was concerned that other teams were stealing his hand signals so he gathered his teammates in a huddle to keep the signals secret.
The Gallaudet players are unable to hear a quarterback barking signals so for years they used a large drum on the sideline to send the signals, the players picking them up by the vibrations.
The school was without football for awhile and then brought it back. That's where Hottle came in.
One of the first things Hottle did was to abandon the drum as a device for transmitting signals. The reason was that the Bison were unable to audible, or change the play at the line of scrimmage, with the drum.
"We felt if we were going to take the next step as a program that we were going to have to be able to change the plays at the line of scrimmage," he said.
Now, the Bison use a silent cadence (hand signals) just as teams do in extra loud stadiums.
Many of the Bison attended high schools for deaf or hard-of-hearing students. Quarterback Jimmy Gardner, for example, attended the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.
Gardner earned Eastern Collegiate Football Conference Player of the Week honors two weeks ago in Gallaudet's 34-7 victory over Hiram College of Ohio.
"He is the one who makes their offense go," Castleton State College coach Rich Alercio said.
Gallaudet and Castleton are both members of the first-year Eastern Collegiate Football Conference.
Hottle has been criticized in some circles for not recruiting deaf players who have gone on to land football scholarships at Division I schools.
He believes the criticism is groundless.
"I don't think deaf players should have any limitations on them," he said. "I don't think they should be denied the Division I experience if that's what they want."
Due to the population they seek, Gallaudet recruits nationally. The roster has players from 32 different states.
Last year, Hottle had an assistant who logged 17,000 miles recruiting.
Gallaudet has been making strides since bringing football back to campus.
"At first, we had a field that wouldn't even be a good high school jayvee field," Hottle said. "Now we have a beautiful artificial turf field with lights. I think it's one of the best fields around."
When he arrived at Gallaudet, his office was a closet. Now, the football staff has two large offices.
"It has been a long journey, but it has been rewarding," Hottle said. "I think we can still be above a .500 program this year."
That drum people so readily associate with Gallaudet? Hottle knows it is an important part of the history of the program and he hasn't packed it away. They still use it for stretching exercises and it stands on the sideline as symbol of Gallaudet football.
It will be a full homecoming day at Castleton as the college will dedicate its new campus center at 9 a.m., and the Spartan athletic complex at 10. The field hockey team will also be home tonight at 7 p.m. against Rivier College.
tom.haley@rutlandherald.com
25