Tom Vaughn (American football)

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Tommy Vaughn
No. 48
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born:(1943-02-28)February 28, 1943
Troy, Ohio
Died:July 5, 2020(2020-07-05) (aged 77)
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Troy (OH)
College:Iowa State
NFL Draft:1965 / Round: 5 / Pick: 57
AFL Draft:1965 / Round: 11 / Pick: 81
(by the Denver Broncos)[1]
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:9
Sacks:-
Fumble recoveries:9
Player stats at NFL.com

Thomas Robert Vaughn (February 28, 1943 – July 5, 2020) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Iowa State and as a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1965 to 1971.

Vaughn was born in 1943 at Troy, Ohio.[2] He attended Troy High School where he was a high school All-American.[3]

At Iowa State, he played as a fullback on offense and as a safety on defense.[3] He tallied 1,889 rushing yards for Iowa State between 1962 and 1964.[4] He also led the Big Eight Conference in punt returns in 1963 and 1964.[3] As a senior, he was selected by both the Associated Press and UPI as a first-team defensive back on the 1964 All-Big Eight Conference football team.[5][6]

He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 1965 NFL Draft. Between 1965 and 1971, he appeared in 88 games with the Lions, 61 as a starter, tallying nine interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. He also returned 62 kickoffs for 1,595 yards (25.7-yard average) and 33 punts for 298 yards (9.0-yard average).[2]

After missing much of the 1971 season due to a head injury, Vaughn announced his retirement in June 1972. He said at the time that he had been knocked out 20 times and was tired of it.[7]

After retiring as a player, he held assistant coaching positions with the Detroit Wheels (1974), Iowa State (1975), Missouri, Wyoming, and Arizona State.[3][8]

Vaughn died in 2020, at age 77.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ "1965 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Tom Vaughn". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Former Detroit Lions free safety, specials teams player Tommy Vaughn dies at 77". Detroit Free Press. July 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "Tom Vaughn". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  5. ^ "Associated Press All-Big 8". The Lincoln Star. December 2, 1964. p. 21.
  6. ^ "Nebraska Puts Five On UPI All-Big Eight Offensive Team". The Lincoln Star. December 4, 1964. p. 21.
  7. ^ "Lion Vaughn Decides to Quit". Detroit Free Press. June 13, 1972 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Ex-Lion banks on Arizona State". Detroit Free Press. September 14, 1985 – via Newspapers.com.


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