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You are here: Home / All The Lingo / Sports Terms That Begin With ‘H’ / H-Back

H-Back

h backWhat Is An H-Back In Football? Definition & Meaning

What Is The Definition Of H-Back In Football?

1. This is an offensive position in football where the player is set back from the line of scrimmage and carries out duties similar to those of a tight end and a fullback. The player in this position runs passing routes, blocks and provides pass protection. The H-back role (sometimes called a “in-motion tight end” or “power back”) is often carried out by a tight end.

Examples Of How H-Back Is Used In Commentary

1. Gonzalez lines up along the offensive line as the H-back on first down, where he’ll help Holmes reach the thousand yard mark for the season.

SportsLingo Goes The Extra-Inch With The Meaning Of H-Back

Although similar, the “h” in h-back does not mean halfback or running, and should not be confused with the running back position as they are completely different. The H-back position was said to have been created by Joe Gibbs during his time with the Washington Redskins, as they regularly featured a two tight end formation on offense.

The origin of the term was created out of circumstance. The quarterback, halfback and fullback positions are marked as “Q, H and F” in a playbook. Gibbs wanted to run a formation that moved one of the backs closer to the line of scrimmage to act as an extra tight end. At the time, the Redskins’ featured back was John Riggins, who was a fullback which is marked as an “F” in the playbook. Since the running back wasn’t utilized as much in their formations, when Gibbs moved the running back closer to the line of scrimmage, instead of renaming the extra tight end a new letter in the playbook, he kept it as “H” and therefore the H-Back position was created.

Sports The Term Is Used

1. Football

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