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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Prepares For Vaught Funeral
2/9/2006 | Football
Feb. 9, 2006
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS- Ole Miss will say goodbye to the father of its football program with a funeral today for coach John Vaught.
The most-successful coach in Ole Miss history died this past week at 96 at his assisted living facility in Oxford, university officials said.
A funeral for Vaught, who led the Rebels to six Southeastern Conference titles and 18 postseason bowl appearances in 25 seasons as coach, will begin at 10 a.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Oxford. It will be followed by a private graveside service and a reception at the Butler Auditorium at the Triplett Alumni Center.
Among the quarterbacks coached by Vaught were Charlie Conerly, Jimmy Lear, Jake Gibbs, Doug Elmore, Glynn Griffing and Archie Manning. Current Ole Miss chancellor Robert Khayat and athletic director Pete Boone also were among those who played for Vaught.
Archie Manning, who quarterbacked Mississippi under Mississippi college football coach John Vaught, attends Vaught's funeral in Oxford, Miss., Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006. (AP Photo/Oxford Eagle, Bruce Newman)  | |
Vaught was 190-61-12 at Ole Miss - but his influence can't be measured only by the numbers.
The Rebels play in a stadium that bears his name, professional and college teams still use his variations on offense and the lasting image of his tenure in Oxford is that of the coach standing impassive on the sidelines, whatever the score.
"You simply can't measure the important contributions he made to our great game," coach Ed Orgeron said in a statement.
Heart problems forced Vaught to retire in 1970. But after the Rebels started poorly in 1973, Vaught returned to finish the season.
He was inducted as a coach into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and National College Football Hall of Fame.
Millsaps coach Mike DuBose played for Paul "Bear" Bryant at Alabama in the 1970s, then later coached the Crimson Tide. He said Vaught made a similarly substantial impact on the Rebels' program.
"When you hear the Ole Miss people, they talk about (Vaught) the same way we talk about coach Bryant," DuBose said Wednesday. "He's a man's man and a coach's coach. He found a way to win, and he did it the right way."
Vaught was preceded in death by his wife, Johnsie, and his son, John Jr. Survivors include a sister, Nedra Strickland; daughter-in-law Bonnie L. Vaught; and step-granddaughter Susan Vaught.
