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Deaf Athletes Sports in the deaf community promote social interaction and athletic competition among profoundly hard-of-hearing and deaf individuals. There is a vast history of sports associated with deaf culture, since the football huddle was invented in 1894 at Gallaudet. Deaf sports organizations are at multiple levels, including state, regional, national, and international. Many deaf people participate in deaf athletic competitions and some even play in the Olympic Games. The following are some of the most famous deaf athletes in the history of sports.
William Ellsworth: Born on May 23, 1862, William Ellsworth was an American center-fielder in Major League Baseball. He played for several teams from 1888 to 1902, including two Washington, D.C. franchises and the Cincinnati Reds. Ellsworth is noted for being one of the most accomplished deaf players in major league history. He suffered deafness after acquiring meningitis at the age of three. Ellsworth became the third deaf person to play in the major leagues and the first deaf athlete to gain membership to the American Athletic Association of the Deaf Hall of Fame.
Gertrude Ederle: Gertrude was born on October 23, 1906 and is well known for being a famous competitive swimmer. She was also the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926. Gertrude trained at the Women’s Swimming Association, which also produced various other swimming competitors, such as Esther Williams and Eleanor Holm. She joined the WSA when she was only fifteen years old. Ederle began having poor hearing as a child due to measles. By the 1940s, she had become completely deaf. She spent the rest of her life teaching swimming to the deaf community.
Shelley Beattie: Born in 1967, Shelley Beattie was a top professional bodybuilder. She once held the record for bench pressing a total of 315 pounds. Deafness did not hold her back and Beattie was able to finish in the top three at both the Ms. Olympia and Ms. International
William Ellsworth: Born on May 23, 1862, William Ellsworth was an American center-fielder in Major League Baseball. He played for several teams from 1888 to 1902, including two Washington, D.C. franchises and the Cincinnati Reds. Ellsworth is noted for being one of the most accomplished deaf players in major league history. He suffered deafness after acquiring meningitis at the age of three. Ellsworth became the third deaf person to play in the major leagues and the first deaf athlete to gain membership to the American Athletic Association of the Deaf Hall of Fame.
Gertrude Ederle: Gertrude was born on October 23, 1906 and is well known for being a famous competitive swimmer. She was also the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926. Gertrude trained at the Women’s Swimming Association, which also produced various other swimming competitors, such as Esther Williams and Eleanor Holm. She joined the WSA when she was only fifteen years old. Ederle began having poor hearing as a child due to measles. By the 1940s, she had become completely deaf. She spent the rest of her life teaching swimming to the deaf community.
Shelley Beattie: Born in 1967, Shelley Beattie was a top professional bodybuilder. She once held the record for bench pressing a total of 315 pounds. Deafness did not hold her back and Beattie was able to finish in the top three at both the Ms. Olympia and Ms. International