Brett Tastad was born deaf. Clay Jacob is blind in his left eye. The two shared the field at the Dakota Bowl in a championship display of perserverance.
Shelby Bean could not help but feel a bit jealous. As a deaf football player for four years at Gallaudet, he called defensive plays with American Sign Language and dealt with other obstacles hearing opponents never need to worry about. Now an assistant coach, he was on the sideline earlier this season for a milestone at a school accustomed to them: The debut of new technology that allows plays to be displayed visually inside quarterback Brandon Washington's helmet — a welcomed step that happened to coincide with the team's first win of the season.