Kaye Vaughan, twice the CFL's outstanding lineman and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, has died. He was 91.
Stephanie Myles, Vaughan's goddaughter, confirmed his passing on Sunday.
"Devastated to announce my godfather, Kaye Vaughan, a legendary longtime Ottawa Rough Rider and fabulous dude who never lost his southern Kansas accent after all these years, passed away today at home in Knowlton," Myles tweeted. "RIP, big guy."
Vaughan played 12 seasons with the Rough Riders (1953-64) and two games with the Montreal Alouettes (1966). He was the CFL's top lineman in 1956 and 1957 and also won a Grey Cup with Ottawa in 1960, recovering a fumble and scoring a touchdown in a 16-6 victory over Edmonton.
Vaughan came out of retirement in 1966 to join the Alouettes before a leg injury forced him to leave the game for good.
A native of Concordia, Kansas, Vaughan played collegiately at Tulsa (1950-52). He was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 12th round, No. 134 overall, in the 1953 NFL draft.
At Tulsa, Vaughan played on the 1952 Gator Bowl squad. During his time there, the team went 26-5-2 and captured two Missouri Valley Conference titles.
Vaughan was a versatile performer with Ottawa, earning East Division all-star honours as an offensive guard and tackle as well as middle guard and defensive tackle. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1978.
Vaughan is also a member of the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame as well as Tulsa's Hall of Fame.
In 2006, Vaughan was ranked No. 41 on TSN's top-50 players poll.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2023.
The Canadian Press
