The football tradition at Gallaudet University, the world's only liberal arts university for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, is known for a number of reasons, including the practice of huddling before each play. An October 2000 story in the Washington Post attributes that tradition to Gallaudet quarterback Paul Hubbard, who in 1894 was concerned that teams were stealing hand signals at the line of scrimmage.

Another tradition emerged in 1970 when "the Bison drum" was introduced to help Gallaudet student-athletes, who could feel its vibrations and get the appropriate jump on the ball at each snap.

From 1995 to 2000, Gallaudet football operated at the club level before returning to varsity status with the advent of the 2000 season. Effective with the 2003-04 academic year, the school once again reclassified the sport to the club level.

These days, the Bison are poised to eclipse yet another important milestone: returning the football program to varsity status.

The challenge of building the program and its proud tradition attracted Ed Hottle to apply for, and ultimately accept, the job as the school's 33rd head football coach in June. The first-year coach is not only charged with recreating success on the turf, he also is responsible for leading Gallaudet football back to NCAA Division III varsity level beginning with the 2007 season.

Gallaudet Director of Athletics James DeStefano said the decision to re-elevate the football program to Division III status was a result of a long planning process and detailed research. He believes that the move to Division III will not only boost recruiting, but also campus morale.

"I feel that by bringing the football program back to Division III, it will help us improve the morale among our students, alumni, parents, teachers and staff members in our community," DeStefano said.

To increase the chances that this renewed effort is successful, DeStefano has reorganized the athletics department and hired a full-time head football coach -- Hottle -- to oversee the operation. Hottle, who joined the Bison program after a one-year stint as head coach at Calvert (Maryland) High School and assistant coaching posts at Frostburg State University, Denison University and Wesley College, becomes the first coach to hold the post full-time since 1985.

DeStefano and Hottle recognize that a number of challenges must be tackled if they are to meet the goal of fielding a competitive Division III team by 2007.

Hottle, who is not hearing-impaired and who began learning sign language just weeks after accepting the post, is focused on the numbers at this point. One of the program's goals is to have at least 80 student-athletes on the roster by 2007.

"We have to hit the ground running with recruiting and we need to get the numbers up as fast as possible," said Hottle, who anticipates an outstanding freshman class.

DeStefano said Gallaudet must find ways to increase the football budget to support the sport at the varsity level. The school has launched an athletics campaign this fall and DeStefano believes a strong showing there will allow the school to run a top-notch Division III program that will attract prospects from across the nation.

Those challenges, though, have not dampened the enthusiasm or pride inherent in the program. This year's team has even added its own twist to the Gallaudet football tradition by going without the storied drum. Hottle said the decision was made by the squad, which elected to operate on a "no count," a system similar to what a visiting team might employ when home crowd noise is an issue. The Bison are 6-0 on the season with two games remaining.

"I have put these kids through the paces and they keep coming back for more. These are some tough kids and there is no quit in any of them. Their positive attitude is unmatched," he said. "I have high expectations here -- no different than at any other school. Everyone is very excited. The energy is awesome. I think we have an opportunity to do some special things here."