Govoner Vaughn

Govoner Vaughn
CollegeIllinois
ConferenceBig Ten
SportBasketball
PositionForward
Jersey #35
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg)
NationalityAmerican
Born (1937-03-01) March 1, 1937 (age 87)
Edwardsville, Illinois
High schoolEdwardsville High School
Awards
  • 2× All-American (1958, 1960)
  • 2× All-Big Ten (1959, 1960)
Honors
Championships

Govoner Vaughn (born March 1, 1937)[2] was a former high school, college and professional basketball player during the 1950s & 60s. Vaughn led Edwardsville High School to a fourth-place finish in the I.H.S.A. 1954 high school playoffs, as well as a second-place finish in 1956 to defending champion, Rockford West. Vaughn played in eight career state playoff games over two seasons, and his 92 points were all scored during the 1956 tournament. He, along with his teammate, Mannie Jackson, were named first-team all-tournament.

Vaughn went on to play for the University of Illinois for three years, 1957–1960, where he and his fellow high school teammate, Jackson, were the first African-American letter winners for the University of Illinois.[3] Vaughn scored 1,001 career points, the 46th highest total in Illini history. He also holds the second highest single season free-throw percentage at .865, making 83 of 96 during the 1959–60 season.

After graduating from Illinois in 1960, Vaughn joined the Harlem Globetrotters. During his time with the Globetrotters, he was named MVP of the 1961 World Series of Basketball. This event was a 20-game series against the nation's top college seniors.[4] Vaughn rejoined the Globetrotters in 2010 and served as the team's director of alumni relations after spending 24 years at Detroit Edison.

College career

1956–57 season

Vaughn played on the freshman squad, records for this season could not be added to his varsity totals.

1957–58 season

During Vaughn's sophomore season, he started all 22 games as the team's center. He finished the season with the second highest point total (327) averaging 14.9 points per game. Only Don Ohl scored more points at 431. Vaughn, however, finished with the highest field goal average at .426 and the second highest free-throw percentage at .773, making 51 of his 66 attempts.[5]

1958–59 season

Even with the graduation of leading scorer Don Ohl, the Fighting Illini experienced a surge in performance sparked by the play of junior center John Wessels and Edwardsville High School teammate Mannie Jackson along with senior guard Roger Taylor. These changes, however, limited Vaughn's production and reduced his point total to 263 for the season. Even with a reduced role, Vaughn finished the season with the fourth highest point total averaging 12.5 points per game.[6]

1959–60 season

Vaughn was the instrumental force in the 1959–60 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team. He started all 23 games during that season and dominated all offensive categories after an injury sidelined previous team-leader John Wessels. Vaughn was first on the Fighting Illini in scoring with 411 points (17.9 per game), first on the team in rebounding with 189 (8.2 per game) and first on the team in free-throw percentage at .865 (83 of 96); second on the all-time Illini record list. Vaughn was named team MVP as well as All-American for this season.[7]

Honors

Basketball

Statistics

College

Season Games Points PPG Field Goals Attempts Avg Free Throws Attempts Avg Rebounds Avg Big Ten
Record 		Overall
Record
1957–58 22 327 14.9 138 324 .426 51 66 .773 – – 5–9 11–11
1958–59 21 263 12.5 110 289 .381 43 67 .642 170 8.1 7–7 12–10
1959–60 23 411 17.9 164 357 .459 83 96 .865 187 8.1 8–6 16–7
Totals 66 1001 15.2 412 970 .425 177 229 .773 357 8.1 20–22 39–28

[11]

References

  1. ^ "Three Illini Basketball Legends Join Honored Jerseys". University of Illinois Alumni Association. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "Govoner Vaughn: Illinois's Groundbreaking Star". 26 February 2020.
  3. ^ Tate, Loren; Gelfond, Jared (September 15, 2004). A Century of Orange and Blue: Celebrating 100 Years of Fighting Illini. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 9781582617930. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  4. ^ "HISTORY OF THE WORLD SERIES OF BASKETBALL 1950 – 1958, 1961 – 1962". Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  5. ^ "University of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1957–58". Archived from the original on 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  6. ^ "University of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1958–59". Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  7. ^ "University of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1959–60". Archived from the original on 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  8. ^ "FightingIllini.com" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  9. ^ IBCA Hall of Fame[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ BasketballMuseumOfIllinois.com
  11. ^ Sports-Reference.com

Govoner Vaughn's Honored Jersey Ceremony on YouTube