One of the best players to ever wear the Hertford County Bears blue-and-gold at the high school level also established himself as one of the best to play for the Division I Old Dominion Monarchs.
For those that remember watching Antonio Vaughan play in his high school days, he was a speedy quarterback that could also throw spot-on passes down the field.
Vaughan almost led the Bears to a near perfect season his senior year with a 13-1 overall record and a perfect 7-0 conference record, good enough for a Northeastern Coastal Conference championship. An injury sidelined him for the last several games, but he still led the team with 1,333 rushing yards on 99 carries with 15 touchdowns. Through the air, he completed 43 of 69 passes for 857 yards and 14 scores.
After his senior season in 2009, Vaughan was named All-Northeastern Coastal Conference and chosen All-Roanoke-Chowan and regional Player of the Year.
When he was recruited by ODU, the coaches saw him as a potential wide receiver and redshirted him in 2010 as he immediately began the process to transition from quarterback to wide receiver.
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| Antonio Vaughan in a game against Florida International in Nov. 2014 (Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press) |
There was no doubt that Vaughan would put in the necessary work and be successful in a new role. In a 2014 interview with the Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Vaughan said, “My first time being a receiver, my routes were a little sloppy and I had to work on catching the ball, so I had to work on that every offseason and in the summer, and it all just came along.”
Vaughan started all twelve games for the Monarchs in his sophomore, junior, and senior season, seeing time as a wide receiver and punt returner; he established himself as one of the most versatile players in ODU football history.
And to say the transition from quarterback to wide receiver “just came along” would be an understatement looking back at the career numbers he put up:
3,267 receiving yards (ODU record)
230 pass receptions (ODU record)
33 receiving touchdowns (ODU record)
37 total touchdowns (ODU record)
4,469 all purpose yards (you guessed it, another ODU record)
Vaughan received plenty of accolades during his time as a Monarch between 2010 and 2014. In 2012, he was selected Second-Team All-CAA, and in 2014, named First-Team All-Conference USA. After making his collegiate debut against Campbell University in 2011, Vaughan was named CAA Rookie of the Week by putting up 191 all-purpose yards and scoring two touchdowns, while also catching six passes.
Antonio Vaughan Career Highlights
Published by Antonio Vaughan
“It was great representing HC at ODU because my whole mindset was to go in and make a name for myself,” said Vaughan, “which would put where I come from on the map as well. I wanted to pave the way for younger athletes coming up behind me, such as Oshane [Ximines] and others who have had the chance to play at ODU.”
Following his senior season at ODU in 2014, Vaughan received plenty of interest from various professional football teams. He signed a free-agent contract with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not make the team. In mid-December, he signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.
“Being part of a professional football team was a great experience,” said Vaughan. “It gave me the opportunity to go out and compete with the best and meet a lot of great people, which could help me with life after football.”
Even though I watched Antonio play as a Hertford County Bear when I was younger, I can still remember seeing him take off down the field, gliding past defenders, like everyone else was in slow motion. It’s amazing to know that Monarch fans get to live with similar memories from a much bigger venue. He’ll forever be one of my favorite players to watch on a football field, and I’m proud to say he represented our high school, our town, and our county in the most impressive way possible.
