Post by Coach Campbell on Jan 3, 2013 18:14:25 GMT
Why Was the Huddle Formed in the Game of Football?
People largely scoffed when they saw the first football huddle, unsure what the players were doing. Spectators at Oregon State University's game thought they were seeing a player prayer meeting while criticism loomed large at the University of Illinois. The huddle prevailed as a useful tool despite its rocky start.
Why
Why the huddle was formed in the game of football is not a mystery, nor is the reason under debate. Football's huddle first came about for secrecy and privacy. Players standing together at close range in a circle have a better chance of successfully communicating without being overheard than players standing in a line or randomly on the sidelines. Who first came up with the huddle is not as easy to answer, as several different versions of its origin exist.
Oregon State University Version
The Oregon State University Alumni Association gives huddle credit to Oregon's Head Coach H.W. "Bill" Hargiss in a 1918 game against the University of Washington in Seattle. Hargiss came up with the idea of having players whisper signals to each other, rather than calling them out loud and being overheard, from a children's game he recalled. He introduced the idea after becoming fed up with Washington players having an uncanny ability to figure out what plays were going to happen next and figured the players must be listening in and decoding plays that were supposed to be secret. Even if this was not the first use of the huddle, the Oregon State Alumni Association points out it was the first time the huddle showed up at the national level in a football game.
University of Illinois Version
Football Historian says University of Illinois coach Bob Zuppke introduced the football huddle in 1921. Zuppke changed the traditional formation of players lining up after a ball went down to wait for their next signal from the player calling the plays. Players instead gathered around the play-calling player in a circle for their instructions. Football Historian does not note what team Illinois was up against, but does note Zuppke initially received jeers for his huddle until Illinois University snagged the national title two years later.
Other Versions
Deaf quarterback Paul Hubbard gets huddle credit from the LA84 Foundation's College Football Historical Society Newsletter, although the society also points out other possible huddle creators. In the Hubbard version of huddle history, Hubbard introduced the huddle to keep opponents' prying eyes from the sign language he used to communicate with his fellow deaf players at Gallaudet University, a Washington, D.C. college for deaf students. Gallaudet's first football game was in 1892 and Hubbard graduated in 1899, but the exact date of his huddle making is unknown. Other individuals who received huddle credit over the years include Lafayette College's Herb McCracken in 1924, University of Pennsylvania's Alfred E. Bull in 1894 and Amos A. Stagg, an athlete and coach born in 1862.
Read more: www.livestrong.com/arti...ootball/#ixzz2GxPA7R7n
People largely scoffed when they saw the first football huddle, unsure what the players were doing. Spectators at Oregon State University's game thought they were seeing a player prayer meeting while criticism loomed large at the University of Illinois. The huddle prevailed as a useful tool despite its rocky start.
Why
Why the huddle was formed in the game of football is not a mystery, nor is the reason under debate. Football's huddle first came about for secrecy and privacy. Players standing together at close range in a circle have a better chance of successfully communicating without being overheard than players standing in a line or randomly on the sidelines. Who first came up with the huddle is not as easy to answer, as several different versions of its origin exist.
Oregon State University Version
The Oregon State University Alumni Association gives huddle credit to Oregon's Head Coach H.W. "Bill" Hargiss in a 1918 game against the University of Washington in Seattle. Hargiss came up with the idea of having players whisper signals to each other, rather than calling them out loud and being overheard, from a children's game he recalled. He introduced the idea after becoming fed up with Washington players having an uncanny ability to figure out what plays were going to happen next and figured the players must be listening in and decoding plays that were supposed to be secret. Even if this was not the first use of the huddle, the Oregon State Alumni Association points out it was the first time the huddle showed up at the national level in a football game.
University of Illinois Version
Football Historian says University of Illinois coach Bob Zuppke introduced the football huddle in 1921. Zuppke changed the traditional formation of players lining up after a ball went down to wait for their next signal from the player calling the plays. Players instead gathered around the play-calling player in a circle for their instructions. Football Historian does not note what team Illinois was up against, but does note Zuppke initially received jeers for his huddle until Illinois University snagged the national title two years later.
Other Versions
Deaf quarterback Paul Hubbard gets huddle credit from the LA84 Foundation's College Football Historical Society Newsletter, although the society also points out other possible huddle creators. In the Hubbard version of huddle history, Hubbard introduced the huddle to keep opponents' prying eyes from the sign language he used to communicate with his fellow deaf players at Gallaudet University, a Washington, D.C. college for deaf students. Gallaudet's first football game was in 1892 and Hubbard graduated in 1899, but the exact date of his huddle making is unknown. Other individuals who received huddle credit over the years include Lafayette College's Herb McCracken in 1924, University of Pennsylvania's Alfred E. Bull in 1894 and Amos A. Stagg, an athlete and coach born in 1862.
Read more: www.livestrong.com/arti...ootball/#ixzz2GxPA7R7n