The Beginning
The College Bowl was the brainchild of Herb Larson, known as the “Johnny Carson” of the deaf and hard of hearing community – an allusion to his years as host of the Emmy-winning local television talk show, “Off Hand.” Larson felt that the deaf and hard of hearing community needed to acknowledge the outstanding mental abilities of their students in academic institutions. His hard work paid off and the College Bowl kicked off at the 1988 NAD Convention in Charleston, South Carolina.
The development of the first National College Bowl competition was certainly no small task! Larson, who represented CSUN, obtained the support of Astrid Goodstein at Gallaudet and Tom Holcomb at NTID/RIT as College Bowl representatives for their schools. They spent hours on the phone and in several meetings together to draw up the guidelines, establish the roles of the game, select the topics, write the questions, prepare the judges, purchase the trophy, and assist with the room preparations and ticket sales. Thanks to the efforts of the original three representatives, the College Bowl has since then blossomed and now attracts droves of NAD Conference participants.
The First Competition
The Gallaudet team consisted of the student leaders of the Deaf President Now (DPN) protest: Greg Hlibok, Bridgetta Bourne, and Tim Rarus (replaced by Roger Kraft prior to the competition). The NTID/RIT team had Marcie Stern, Paul Skurda, and Steve Vicker. The CSUN team had Lisa Herberger, Josh Mendelsohn, and Mark Sommer.
When Larson, the emcee for the first competition, showed the first question, he suddenly struggled to stifle his surprise when he saw that it asked, “Who is the Johnny Carson of the deaf community?”
All three colleges correctly answered, “Herb Larson!”
The first College Bowl was such a success at the NAD Conference that many had to be turned away at the door! After a loud and exciting contest, CSUN emerged victorious, NTID/RIT second, and Gallaudet third.
Past College Bowl Contestants
*College Bowl Champion
2018, Hartford
CSUN: Darcy Arzate, Sarah Clifton, Grace Janney, Garrett Nichols
Gallaudet*: Jason Antal, Lydia Kopp, Nikolya Sereda, Ethan M Sonnenstrahl
Lamar U.: Francisco Leija, Dylan Lutes, Sidney Onwuharonye, Vanessa Perry-Tease
NTID: Eric Epstein, Linzie Fuechtmann, Emmanuel Perrodin-Njoku, Grace Yukawa
U. Minnesotta: Zakaria Einab, Autumn Moder, Amanda Jo Temple, Andrew Weber
2016, Phoenix
CSUN: Tyler Pugeda, Hadel Somo, Chase Toy, Jessica Vercelli
Gallaudet: Jason Miles Antal, Jehanne Celeste McCullough, Gabriel Joseph Paulone, Ethan M Sonnenstrahl
NTID*: Lauren Berger, Eric Epstein, Asher Kirschbaum, Emmanuel Perrodn-Njoku
U. Minnesota: Maggie Bangert, Hennah McCoy, Kyle Johnson, Amanda Jo Temple
2014, Atlanta
CSUN: Moises Jaramillo, Tyler Pugeda, Chase Toy, Joshua Tozeski, Jessica Vercelli
Gallaudet: Larwan Berke, Margaret Kopp, Camac Kyre, Ethan Sonnenstrahl
NTID*: Lauren Berger, Eric Epstein, Linzie Fuechtmann, Asher Kirschbaum
SWCID: Aaron Diaz, Wesley Diaz, Brandon Ray, Wesley Soto
U. Minnesota: Maggie Bangert, Kyle Johnson, Johanna Lucht, John Wilson
U. Texas: Dudley Baker, Christy Hediger, Jordan Nussbaum, Lisa Ozuna
2012, Louisville
CSUN: Moses Jaramillo, Brandon Marin, Emily Schwartz, Joshua Tozeski
Gallaudet: Todd Bonheyo, Brienna Herold, Gabriel Paulone, Allison Weiner
NTID*: Ethan Berger, Jordan Burgener, Tyler Kindrod, Taylor Yukawa
SWCID: Musab Al-Smadi, Marcela Baca, Jesus Barrera, Allen Hearhoof, Chris Warmack
U. Minnesota: Justin Barlow, T’Jay Middlebrook, Shawn Vriezen, John Wilson
U. Texas: Duggan Baker, Lisa Guerra, Christy Hediger, Jordan Nussbaum
2010, Philadelphia
CSUN: Darren Hause, Brandon Marin, Joshua Soudakoff, Emily Schwartz
Gallaudet*: Meredith Peruzzi, Gabriel Paulone, David Uzzell, Allison Weiner, Colin Whited
NTID: Gianni Manganelli, Colin Pearson, Hannah Worek, Jordan Burgener, Cory Behm
2008, New Orleans
CSUN: Darren Hause, Josh Josa, Jairon Popal, Michael Sidansky
Gallaudet*: Tyler DeShaw, Meredith Peruzzi, Jonathan Paul Chanin, David Uzzell
NTID: Josh Allmann, Aaron Delbruegge, Geo Kartheiser, Randall Kidd, Jr.
2006, Palm Desert
CSUN: Darren Hause, Josh Josa, Michael Sidansky, Scott Vinegar
Gallaudet*: Jonathan Paul Chanin, Pia Marie Paulone, Andrew Phillips, Drew Robarge
NTID: Josh Allmann, Aaron Delbruegge, Randal Kidd, Jr., Lane Lucht
2004, Kansas City
CSUN: Kerry Nicole Bobeczko, Matthew Guarino, Jared Patton, Julia Velasquez
Gallaudet*: Jonathan Paul Chanin, Pia Maria Paulone, Andrew Phillips, Drew Robarge
NTID: Geo Kartheiser, Donald Slate, David Spiecker, John-Michael Stern
2002, Washington, DC
CSUN: Kevin Bohlin, Mela Bennett, Kyle Houston, Keith Nolan
Gallaudet: Jonathan Henner, Christopher Kaftan, Sara Robinson, Patrick Rosenberg
NTID*: Andrew Phillips, Pamela Siebert, Sara Stallard, Adam Stone
2000, Norfolk
CSUN: Cindy Bronson, Kyle Houston, Erika Leger, Dennis Selznick
Gallaudet*: Jason Lamberton, Allison Polk, Sara Robinson, Christian Wojnar
NTID: William Huber, Daniel Millikin, Pamela Siebert, Paul Thompson
1998, San Antonio
CSUN: Kyle Houston, Erick Posner, Lauren Teruel, Steven Wright
Gallaudet*: Terry Giansanti, D.J. Kurs, Jonathan Lamberton, Christian Wojnar
NTID: Kevin Bernadt, Katherine Hoheusle, J.M. Kramlinger, Paul Thompson
1996, Portland
CSUN: Lauren Abbott, Cindy Bronson, Kimberly Nungesser, Amy Wong
Gallaudet: D.J. Kurs, Jonathan Lamberton, Rob Voreck, Myra Yanke
NTID*: Edward Bart, Katherine Hoheusle, Gregory Munro, Timothy Stewart
1994, Knoxville
CSUN: Michael Barrett, Jeff Pavkovich, Kevin Saunders, Trent Wade
Gallaudet: Dave Evans, Neil McDevitt, Todd McIntosh, Joe Murray
NTID*: Alok Kanu Doshi, Jamie Munro, Robert Rice, David John Tai
1992, Denver
CSUN: James Bronson, Jeff Pavkovich, Eric Scheir
Gallaudet*: Kelby Brick, Gino Gouby, John Moore, Barry Solomon
NTID: Alok Kanu Doshi, Lea Moynihan, Robert Rice, David John Tai
1990, Indianapolis
CSUN: Josh Mendelsohn, Mark Sommer, John Underwood
Gallaudet*: Emily Alexander, Holly Elkins, Christopher Shea
NTID: Marcie Stern, Paul Skurda, Steve Vicker
1988, Charleston
CSUN*: Lisa Herberger, Josh Mendelsohn, Mark Sommer
Gallaudet: Greg Hlibok, Bridgetta Bourne, Roger Kraft
NTID: Marcie Stern, Paul Skurda, Steve Vicker