Tom Vaughn (American football) explained

Tommy Vaughn
Position:Safety
Number:48
Birth Date:28 February 1943
Birth Place:Troy, Ohio, U.S.
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lbs:190
High School:Troy (OH)
College:Iowa State
Afldraftyear:1965
Afldraftround:11
Afldraftpick:81
(by the Denver Broncos)[1]
Draftyear:1965
Draftround:5
Draftpick:57
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statlabel1:Interceptions
Statvalue1:9
Statlabel2:Fumble recoveries
Statvalue2:9

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. He attended Troy High School where he was a high school All-American.

At Iowa State, he played as a fullback on offense and as a safety on defense. He tallied 1,889 rushing yards for Iowa State between 1962 and 1964.[2] He also led the Big Eight Conference in punt returns in 1963 and 1964. 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.[3] [4]

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).[5]

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.[6]

After retiring as a player, he held assistant coaching positions with the Detroit Wheels (1974), Iowa State (1975), Missouri, Wyoming, and Arizona State.[7]

Vaughn died in 2020, at age 77.[8] He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[9] [10]

References

  1. Web site: 1965 AFL Draft. March 23, 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170225154441/http://profootballarchives.com/1965AFLDraft.html. February 25, 2017.
  2. Web site: Tom Vaughn. Sports Reference LLC. SR/College Football. July 5, 2020.
  3. News: Associated Press All-Big 8. The Lincoln Star. December 2, 1964. 21.
  4. News: Nebraska Puts Five On UPI All-Big Eight Offensive Team. The Lincoln Star. December 4, 1964. 21.
  5. Web site: Tom Vaughn. Sports Reference LLC. Pro-Football-Reference.com. July 5, 2020.
  6. News: Lion Vaughn Decides to Quit. Detroit Free Press. June 13, 1972. Newspapers.com.
  7. News: Ex-Lion banks on Arizona State. Detroit Free Press. September 14, 1985. Newspapers.com.
  8. News: Former Detroit Lions free safety, specials teams player Tommy Vaughn dies at 77. Detroit Free Press. July 5, 2020.
  9. News: The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) . Concussion Legacy Foundation . July 2, 2023 . July 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts . dead .
  10. News: Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller . Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. . . June 20, 2023 . July 2, 2023 .