Johnny Vaught

Bio

Some say football at Mississippi began when John Vaught started his coaching career there. Vaught was an organizer, a man who believed in detailed preparation before each game. He poured over game films and scouting reports religiously. University of Mississippi Chancellor Porter L. Fortune, Jr. said on John Vaught Day in 1971, "John Vaught trained the boys to become men while imparting to them some of his own extraordinary skills as an athlete." He attended Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth and was class president and valedictorian. He moved on to Texas Christian University and was an honor student, football captain, and, in 1932, All-America guard. His first college coaching job was as assistant at North Carolina 1936-1941. Vaught served in the Navy in World War II and was a lieutenant commander. He went to the University of Mississippi as assistant coach in 1946, moved up to head coach in 1947. He retired after the 1970 season but came back to direct the team the last eight games of 1973. At one point he had 14 consecutive bowl teams. Vaught's record was 190-61-12, a .745 percentage. His 1960 team was named national champion by the Football Writers Association.