Gallaudet Bison football
First season1883
Athletic directorWarren Keller
Head coachChuck Goldstein
13th season, 50–63 (.442)
StadiumHotchkiss Field
(capacity: 1,500)
Field surfaceField Turf
LocationWashington, D.C.
ConferenceEastern Collegiate Football Conference
Conference titles2 (2013,2022)
ColorsBuff and blue[1]
   
Websitewww.gallaudetbison.com

The Gallaudet Bison football team represents Gallaudet University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III competition. It has been discontinued many times, and most recently restarted in 2007.[2][3] After an undefeated season in 2005, the first time such a season was achieved in the program's 122-year history, head coach Ed Hottle began his campaign to return Gallaudet to the NCAA ranks. With support from the Gallaudet administration, the Bison played their last season of club football in 2006 and played a full NCAA slate of eight games in 2007.[4] In the fall of 2013, Gallaudet's football program began a remarkable run for the Division III playoffs and garnering a considerable amount of publicity, winning the regular season with a 9–1 record, before falling to Hobart College in the first round of the playoffs and ending the season with a 9–2 (.818) overall record.[5][6]

Gallaudet football (2007)

After the 2009 football season, Coach Hottle left to become the first head coach of the first football team at Stevenson University. He announced his decision in a heart-felt meeting with the football team. Offensive Coordinator Chuck Goldstein was tapped to be the interim head coach of the football team. On December 17, 2009, the interim tag was removed and he is now the permanent head coach of the team.[7]

Gallaudet University's football team has a longstanding rivalry with Catholic University of America, another school in the Washington D.C. area. On September 7, 2012, Gallaudet University defeated Catholic University of America for the first time in the 106-year history of the rivalry between the two D.C. schools.[8]

The home stadium, Hotchkiss Field, was known as Garlic Field prior to 1924.[9]

History

The football team was organized in 1883 by coach John B. Hotchkiss. In the 1890s, the football huddle originated at Gallaudet.[10][11][12] Quarterback Paul D. Hubbard noticed hand signals could be read by opposing players, a particular concern when Gallaudet played other schools for the deaf. To remedy this, he had his players form a circle so that his sign-language signals could be sent and received without anyone on the sidelines or on the opposing team seeing.[13]

Postseason results

Year Round Opponent Result
2022 First Round Delaware Valley L 0–59

Hall of Fame

The following football players have been inducted into the Gallaudet Athletics Hall of Fame.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Brand Guidelines" (PDF). Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "Gallaudet to Re-Start Program in 2007". Washingtonpost.com. July 12, 2005.
  3. ^ "2013 Football Records Book" (PDF). Fs.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  4. ^ Foster, Brooke (August 19, 2007). "Sound and the Fury". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  5. ^ The Associated Press. "Gallaudet football prepares for first ever playoff game". wjla.com.
  6. ^ "Hobart derails Gallaudet football's historic season : News : CNYcentral.com". cnycentral.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  7. ^ "Goldstein Named Gallaudet's 36th Head Football Coach, Davis Elevated to Assistant Coach". Gallaudet University. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  8. ^ "Gallaudet Defeats Catholic for the First Time in the School History". Gallaudet University Athletics. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  9. ^ Newman, Bruce. "Clear Signals". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  10. ^ "The History of Gallaudet University (page 3)". Pr.gallaudet.edu. November 7, 1997. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  11. ^ "The Huddle Debate Continues" (PDF). College Football Historical Society. 11 (2): 4. February 1998. Retrieved August 4, 2015 – via LA84. Open access icon
  12. ^ Jeff Pegues (November 11, 2013). "The Storied football team of Gallaudet, the nation's first university for the deaf". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  13. ^ Gannon, Jack (1981). "Deaf Heritage: Narrative History of Deaf America" (PDF). Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf. Studentunitymovement.org: 272 & 276. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  14. ^ "Gallaudet University Athletics Hall of Fame". Gallaudeathletics.com. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
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