There are a few different stories about how the
huddle originated (in 1918 at Oregon State, in 1921 at the
University of Illinois, and in 1924 at Lafayette College are a
few of them).
It was first used in the 1890s when Paul Hubbard, the quarterback for Gallaudet—a Deaf college in Washington, D.C., which is now a university—had his offense form a tight circle so that they could discuss plays without the other team seeing what they were signing. Another Gallaudet football innovation was the giant drum on the sidelines that would be used for the snap count (the players could feel the vibrations).