Huddle Up: Deaf History Month

Protecting The Message

This year, a record 114 million Americans watched The New England Patriots outlast the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLlX. Even those who didn’t have a vested interest in the outcome were drawn in by the event itself including the half-time show and of course, the commercials.

Of the many different facets of the game, one thing that is often taken for granted or overlooked altogether is the huddle.

The huddle is an integral part of the sport but many people are unaware of its origins. In fact, one poll discovered that 85 percent of people had no idea who invented the huddle and/or when it was invented.

To the surprise of many, Paul Hubbard invented the American football huddle in 1894. Hubbard was a Deaf player at Gallaudet University.

Hubbard was the quarterback for Gallaudet and during a game he realized that his sign language (hand signals) could be read by opposing players.

Not wanting to give away which play the Bison were running, he decided to pull his players into a circle so that his sign language could be shown without anyone on the sidelines or on the opposing team being able to steal the signs.

What Hubbard was trying to do was to protect the integrity of the message he was communicating. He didn’t want that message compromised in any way, especially in a manner that would jeopardize the success of his team.

Here at DSU, I believe we follow in Hubbard’s footsteps.

We go to great lengths to ensure that what is being said on both sides of the conversation is being interpreted appropriately.

Unlike other agencies, we don’t accept the idea that any interpreter is good enough so we stay away from scheduling purely on the basis of availability.

Instead, we hire certified and experienced interpreters and pair each need to the best interpreter.

It’s your right to know all that is being said all of the time.

If you want to receive top notch interpreting services, we invite you to come get in the huddle with us!