Throwback Thursday: Huddle Up

It's hard to imagine football without the huddle. It's one of the most democratic processes in all of sport. From the early '90s Bills to 2-minute drills, we sometimes see threats to our iconic huddle. It's hard to imagine but there was a time when there was no huddle. As football evolved from rugby, the line of scrimmage was formed. Plays were called from there like our present day audible or everyday Peyton Manning. Eventually there was a brief meeting before the players broke to their respective positions. In 1892, one of the first huddles was called out of necessity. Gallaudet University is a school for the deaf in Washington D.C. In games against other schools for the deaf, QB Paul Hubbard had his teammates form a huddle to keep the opponents from seeing their play calls. Gradually, colleges started seeing the benefits from these quaint little get togethers. Illinois coach Bob Zuppke, in the 1910s-20s, was one of the first to regularly use the huddle that we know and love today. Eventually, everyone would. Now, we have the spread offenses in several colleges to muck it all up. The huddle needs to be preserved.