These Deaf Football Teams March to Their Own Special Beat

When team manager Mike Toothman is feeling daring, he tries to draw opposing football teams offside by faking a beat against the large bass drum on the sideline near the line of scrimmage.

Sometimes the defense falls for it and is quickly penalized. But since few of the players can hear the officials’ whistles, the play is usually completed anyway.

It is only after the ballcarrier is tackled and the referee uses hand signals to spell out the penalty that most of the players realize what has happened.

Toothman smiles, knowing he has fooled the defense again.

That’s the way it is in deaf football.

Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C., has a deaf football team, the only collegiate one in the country.

Some teams have deaf players. Defensive tackle Kenny Walker graduated from the University of Nebraska last spring and is playing with the Denver Broncos. He communicates with coaches and players through a signing interpreter and by reading lips.

Most of the country’s deaf high schools field football teams. California has two--California School for the Deaf in Fremont, a member of the North Coast Section, and California School for the Deaf in Riverside, in the Southern Section.

They play regularly in small-school leagues made up of public and parochial schools, but the big game each season is their annual meeting. The teams have played nearly every year since the series started in 1972. The schools alternate as host, and a big crowd is always assured.

“This game means more than the rest because of the obvious special bond between the players,” said Nick Bannon, Riverside’s first-year coach. “As deaf people, the kids grow up sharing the same joys and frustrations. They can easily relate to each other.”

To most of the 1,000 fans who gathered here on a recent Saturday afternoon to watch the 18th meeting of the schools, little seemed out of the ordinary. There were long bombs, trick plays, quarterback sacks, penalties and plenty of touchdowns.

Still, there are several communication obstacles, although most players and coaches do not consider their deafness a severe handicap.

Coaches normally get to games early so they can meet with the officials and explain precautions they may need to take. Few referees are deaf or hearing-impaired, so they need to understand that players do not always stop when the whistle is blown, and that they might get confused about rulings on complex penalties.

Since snap counts cannot be heard, the offense relies on the beat of the drum to signal the start of a play. The drum is so loud that players can either hear the pitch or feel the vibration. Hearing people in the crowd can be seen covering their ears before the start of each play.

Aggressive defenders often watch the drum in anticipation. But sometimes they are outsmarted by people such as Riverside’s Toothman, who was able to trick Fremont into four offside penalties.

Communicating with players also can be frustrating.

Bannon has an 80% hearing loss, but is able to carry on a fairly normal conversation without the use of sign language. He shouts instructions on the field, but most are not heard. And when there are only 10 players on the field, he cannot yell for a quick replacement. He has to find the 11th man and sign his instructions. This cannot always be done before the ball is snapped.

During timeouts, Bannon rushes onto the field and talks to his team in the huddle. All of the players have to be in view so they can see him sign instructions. Those who look away for even a second may miss something.

Bannon is edgy this particular Saturday, since Riverside is suffering through one of its worst seasons. Before the season opener, third-year Coach Mark McCrory stepped down unexpectedly. He was replaced by Bannon, a 25-year-old physical education teacher with only one year of coaching experience.

Bannon, who played high school and college football, served as an assistant on the junior varsity team last season. Although he felt up to the task, he acknowledges it has been a difficult fall. Few of Riverside’s 200 high school students knew who he was when he got the job. And with only 20 players on the varsity, depth has been a problem.

Before the Fremont game, the Cubs had been outscored, 155-8, and many players were skipping practices.

But attitudes began changing for the Fremont game. T-shirts were printed, listing all the scores in the series. Riverside prided itself on holding a 9-8 lead.

“No matter what ends up happening this season, it will be one I will always remember as a coach,” said Bannon, who went to high school in Buffalo and later attended Gallaudet. “This is a very special group of young men and they are learning to play as a team.”

Heavy rain Friday night resulted in sloppy playing conditions, but neither team seemed to mind. Chilly temperatures also did little to dampen the fans’ spirits. The bleachers were full well before kickoff.

A public address announcer introduced players from both teams, but since most in attendance could not hear him, a school official on the field signed the introductions as well.

Before the kickoff, fans raised their hands in the air and waved, an alternative cheering gesture to clapping. Even with a standing-room-only crowd, the stadium was relatively quiet.

Fremont players raised their helmets above their heads as a sign of unity, then strapped them on and scored the game’s first touchdown shortly thereafter.

Riverside players seemed in disarray on the first series. The defensive backs crossed paths and the Cubs were called for pass interference, helping Fremont on its touchdown drive.

Bannon yelled out a change in formations but, of course, it did no good. No one heard him.

But unlike previous weeks, Riverside did not fold after falling behind. Instead, after an interception by Dennis Cruz, the team responded with a 55-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. Senior running back Ricky Cornish scored on an 18-yard run for the Cubs’ second touchdown of the season. Quarterback Robert Reed ran in for the two-point conversion, and Riverside had its first lead of the season, 8-7.

The few Riverside fans who had made the long journey rose to their feet and hugged each other. Players and coaches let out loud yells.

The lead did not last, however. Fremont, aided by several Riverside turnovers, scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and won, 25-8, tying the series at 9-9.

Fremont players leaped for joy, but several Riverside players, tears in their eyes, buried their heads.

“This is my last game against Fremont and I am sad that it was a loss,” said Cornish, who attended Fremont before transferring to Riverside. “Mental mistakes killed us today. My old friends here won’t let me forget what happened.”

Bannon said he was proud of his team, even though it had been unable to hold the lead.

And said Cruz, in a vow common to sports fans everywhere, hearing and non-hearing alike: “We’ll make a comeback during basketball season.”