Tom Vaughn (American football)

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]