John Vaughn
Encyclopedia
John Vaughn
John Vaughn (born June 15, 1984 in Nashville is an American football
placekicker
. He was signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football
at Auburn
.
, Vaughn was named the SEC
Special Teams Player of the Year and was a Lou Groza Award
finalist. His 42-yard Cotton Bowl Classic field goal was his twentieth made out of twenty-four attempts for a 83.3% on the season and made him just the second Auburn kicker ever to complete twenty or more field goals in a single season. Vaughn had new career long field goals in consecutive weekends with a 52-yarder against Washington State
and a 55-yarder against Mississippi State
. Twice during the season he completed four field goals in a single game — in wins against Washington State and the eventual BCS
Champion Florida Gators
. He is one of the best kickers in Auburn history.
Vaughn holds more Auburn University records than any other kicker. Vaughn finished his Auburn career with 162 extra-point conversions (out of 163 attempts), a school record and third best in SEC history. He also converted 50 field goals for a 72.5% success rate. Vaughn's career total of 312 points made him the Auburn career-scoring leader ahead of Bo Jackson and Carnell Williams, and ranks tied for 12th in SEC history. Vaughn was the leading scorer on the undefeated 2004 SEC Champion team. Vaughn never had a kick blocked in his entire 4 your career at Auburn University. While Vaughn will arguably be remembered for his failed attempts against LSU in 2005 which cost Auburn the game, Vaughn rebounded and only missed 5 kicks the rest of his college career. ESPN College Gameday did special segment on Vaughn to share his story. He is also remembered for a game winning field goal in 2005 that beat Georgia 31-30 with 0:06 remaining in the game.
In 2008, Vaughn was inducted into The Great American Rivalry High School Football Hall of Fame. Vaughn holds several state records in the TSSAA. His 39 career field goals is a Tennessee State Record and ranks him tied for 4th in national high school football history.
In 2010, John Vaughn was voted as the kicker for the Auburn All Decade team of the 2000s.
but signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans
on April 30, 2007. He was released from the Titans after Tennessee's 3rd Pre-season game
Vaughn handled all kicking responsibilities for the Titans in the 2008 preseason. Going 7-9 on field goals, Vaughn connected on a 33 yard game winning field goal as time expired to beat the Oakland Raiders.
Vaughn was cut by the Tennessee Titans in the final roster cuts to make place for All-Pro Kicker Rob Bironas
, a former Auburn kicker himself.
John Vaughn (born June 15, 1984 in Nashville is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
. He was signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Auburn
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
.
College career
In the 2006 season2006 Auburn Tigers football team
The 2006 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Head coach Tommy Tuberville served his eighth season at Auburn, the third longest tenure among current SEC head coaches that year...
, Vaughn was named the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Special Teams Player of the Year and was a Lou Groza Award
Lou Groza Award
The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza.-Winners:...
finalist. His 42-yard Cotton Bowl Classic field goal was his twentieth made out of twenty-four attempts for a 83.3% on the season and made him just the second Auburn kicker ever to complete twenty or more field goals in a single season. Vaughn had new career long field goals in consecutive weekends with a 52-yarder against Washington State
2006 Washington State Cougars football team
The 2006 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University in the college football season of 2006-2007. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Bill Doba, and played its home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington....
and a 55-yarder against Mississippi State
Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Mississippi State University. They participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference under the mascot Bulldogs and the school colors of maroon and white...
. Twice during the season he completed four field goals in a single game — in wins against Washington State and the eventual BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
Champion Florida Gators
2006 Florida Gators football team
The 2006 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2006 college football season...
. He is one of the best kickers in Auburn history.
In 2008, Vaughn was inducted into The Great American Rivalry High School Football Hall of Fame. Vaughn holds several state records in the TSSAA. His 39 career field goals is a Tennessee State Record and ranks him tied for 4th in national high school football history.
In 2010, John Vaughn was voted as the kicker for the Auburn All Decade team of the 2000s.
Awards and honors
- Auburn University's All Time Leading Scorer with 312 points
- Auburn All Decade team 2000's
- Lou Groza Award Finalist (Runner Up)
- SEC Special Teams Player of the Year
- Pro Football WeeklyPro Football WeeklyPro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
Honorable Mention All-American - SI.com Honorable Mention All-American
- Coaches All-SEC First Team
- Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-SEC First Team - Scout.com All-SEC First Team
- Preseason Coaches Third-Team All-SEC
- 2006 Hartman Award Winner awarded to the Southeast's most outstanding special teams player
- 2007 Shug Jordan Award Winner given to Auburn's most outstanding senior football player
First stint with Titans
Vaughn went undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
but signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
on April 30, 2007. He was released from the Titans after Tennessee's 3rd Pre-season game
Orlando Predators
John Vaughn was signed by the Orlando Predators of the AFL in February 2008. One of the most productive newcomers to the Orlando Predators Vaughn beat out Jay Davis to become the Predators starting kicker as a rookie. Hit a 33 yard game winning field goal against the Columbus Destroyers as time expired.Second stint with Titans
Vaughn was re-signed by the Titans on July 31, 2008.Vaughn handled all kicking responsibilities for the Titans in the 2008 preseason. Going 7-9 on field goals, Vaughn connected on a 33 yard game winning field goal as time expired to beat the Oakland Raiders.
Vaughn was cut by the Tennessee Titans in the final roster cuts to make place for All-Pro Kicker Rob Bironas
Rob Bironas
James Robert Douglas "Rob" Bironas is an American football placekicker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Auburn University and Georgia Southern.Bironas was an All-Pro...
, a former Auburn kicker himself.