Hoy, William Ellsworth "Dummy"

Became deaf at age 2 or 3, probably from meningitis; graduated the Ohio School for the Deaf, where he learned to play baseball. After a short time as a cobbler, he applied for a position on the Milwaukee pro team, but went to Oshkosh instead when that team offered better pay. After 2 years, entered the major leagues with the Washington Senators until 1894, when he was sold to the Cincinnati Reds; he stayed with the Reds until retirement. Credited with inventing the baseball signals for "ball" and "strike". In 2001, Gallaudet University's baseball field was named in his honor.