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Flint's Michigan School for the Deaf wants to prove that they can play football despite having hearing impairments - MLive.com
Team sports tend to rely heavily on verbal communication.
But in the case of the Flint Michigan School for the Deaf’s football team, the verbal part of communication is basically a non-factor.
“Without hearing, you basically follow your instincts a lot,” MSD first-year head coach Philip Endicot said via sign language through an interpreter during a recent practice. “Most of the expressions on their faces give away a lot.”
MSD’s athletes have to key in on hand signals and use eye contact to remain in sync with one another on the gridiron.
This makes their practices and games relatively quiet because they are paying close attention to specific details.
Although the athletes have listening restraints, senior quarterback/safety Brandon Locke insists that they’re still like any other football players.
“We can play football even though they think we can’t. We just can’t hear,” said Locke, a senior at MSD who was born deaf. “We’ve got hands, we’ve got eyes, we can see the ball, we know where to go when the ball goes, and we can catch and tackle.”
Locke, who said he’s played football most of his life and is in his third year on the varsity, loves to “hit people” on the field.
In the Tartars’ first game of the season Aug. 25 — which ended in a 71-0 loss to Owendale-Gagetown — Locke emerged as the team’s leader.
Locke, a native of Sterling Heights, completed 4 of his 9 passes for 76 yards, rushed 12 times for 75 yards and tallied 13 total tackles.
His goal is to play baseball or football in college after high school, but now he wants to keep his group on the same page for the remainder of this season.
“I try to get them to believe in themselves,” Locke said of his teammates. “I’m starving to win, and do they have that starving? I don’t know. I just want them to have that desire to win, and we can do a whole lot better if we have that desire.”
While some players may not share Locke’s passion, Endicot certainly does.
The Philadelphia native is an ex-football player and graduate assistant coach at Gallaudet University — the world’s only liberal arts college for deaf students.
He moved to Michigan to fill his current position — all alone for the first time in his life without any family members or friends — after completing his graduate studies at Gallaudet.
Endicot considered coaching two other deaf programs in Maryland before choosing MSD.
He says that the environment is a little bit different at his new job because of the drop in skill level, but he’s adjusting very well to the task at hand.
“A challenge for me in the football program is to win some games,” said Endicot. “These kids know that I come from Gallaudet, and I know that we can do it and I believe in them, so I want to show them a way to lead them down that path so we can have some victory.”
The Tartars have not won a game since their football program was re-established in the Mid-Michigan-8-Man league after a 25-year hiatus.
Mid-Michigan’s 8-Man league is designed for institutions who are looking to restore their football programs or may be on the brink of losing the sport because of a lack of student enrollment.
This season, a state playoff will be held to determine an 8-man state champion.
Endicot is aware of MSD’s unsuccessful football history and wants to stop the trend.
Meanwhile, Locke hired assistant coach Ronald Guthrie — the only person with hearing on the Tartars’ staff — to help build a solid foundation.
Guthrie is a CODA (child of deaf adults) and grew up in Flushing with two deaf parents.
He has served as the school’s basketball and track coach in the past and was excited to help Endicot in any way his services may be needed.
“What we’re doing is trying to teach these kids the necessities in football, which are hard work, commitment and discipline,” said Guthrie, a former running back/defensive back at Saginaw Valley State University from 1994-98.
“In order to build a team and build a program that’s important, because we’re going from survival mode to trying to be a championship team.”
Team sports tend to rely heavily on verbal communication.
But in the case of the Flint Michigan School for the Deaf’s football team, the verbal part of communication is basically a non-factor.
“Without hearing, you basically follow your instincts a lot,” MSD first-year head coach Philip Endicot said via sign language through an interpreter during a recent practice. “Most of the expressions on their faces give away a lot.”
MSD’s athletes have to key in on hand signals and use eye contact to remain in sync with one another on the gridiron.
This makes their practices and games relatively quiet because they are paying close attention to specific details.
Although the athletes have listening restraints, senior quarterback/safety Brandon Locke insists that they’re still like any other football players.
“We can play football even though they think we can’t. We just can’t hear,” said Locke, a senior at MSD who was born deaf. “We’ve got hands, we’ve got eyes, we can see the ball, we know where to go when the ball goes, and we can catch and tackle.”
Locke, who said he’s played football most of his life and is in his third year on the varsity, loves to “hit people” on the field.
In the Tartars’ first game of the season Aug. 25 — which ended in a 71-0 loss to Owendale-Gagetown — Locke emerged as the team’s leader.
Locke, a native of Sterling Heights, completed 4 of his 9 passes for 76 yards, rushed 12 times for 75 yards and tallied 13 total tackles.
His goal is to play baseball or football in college after high school, but now he wants to keep his group on the same page for the remainder of this season.
“I try to get them to believe in themselves,” Locke said of his teammates. “I’m starving to win, and do they have that starving? I don’t know. I just want them to have that desire to win, and we can do a whole lot better if we have that desire.”
While some players may not share Locke’s passion, Endicot certainly does.
The Philadelphia native is an ex-football player and graduate assistant coach at Gallaudet University — the world’s only liberal arts college for deaf students.
He moved to Michigan to fill his current position — all alone for the first time in his life without any family members or friends — after completing his graduate studies at Gallaudet.
Endicot considered coaching two other deaf programs in Maryland before choosing MSD.
He says that the environment is a little bit different at his new job because of the drop in skill level, but he’s adjusting very well to the task at hand.
“A challenge for me in the football program is to win some games,” said Endicot. “These kids know that I come from Gallaudet, and I know that we can do it and I believe in them, so I want to show them a way to lead them down that path so we can have some victory.”
The Tartars have not won a game since their football program was re-established in the Mid-Michigan-8-Man league after a 25-year hiatus.
Mid-Michigan’s 8-Man league is designed for institutions who are looking to restore their football programs or may be on the brink of losing the sport because of a lack of student enrollment.
This season, a state playoff will be held to determine an 8-man state champion.
Endicot is aware of MSD’s unsuccessful football history and wants to stop the trend.
Meanwhile, Locke hired assistant coach Ronald Guthrie — the only person with hearing on the Tartars’ staff — to help build a solid foundation.
Guthrie is a CODA (child of deaf adults) and grew up in Flushing with two deaf parents.
He has served as the school’s basketball and track coach in the past and was excited to help Endicot in any way his services may be needed.
“What we’re doing is trying to teach these kids the necessities in football, which are hard work, commitment and discipline,” said Guthrie, a former running back/defensive back at Saginaw Valley State University from 1994-98.
“In order to build a team and build a program that’s important, because we’re going from survival mode to trying to be a championship team.”