Johnny Vaught
Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame
Ole Miss
Sugar Bowls: 1953, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970
Inducted: 2019
Legendary Ole Miss coach Johnny Vaught was at the helm of the Rebels for 25 years, posting a 190-61-12 record. He directed Ole Miss to six SEC titles and was named the SEC Coach of the Year six times. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Vaught directed the Rebels to eight Sugar Bowls from 1953-70, recording five victories. His 14-6 victory over Rice in 1961 capped a 10-0-1 season after which they were crowned as national champions and the Rebels’ 17-13 defeat of Arkansas in the 1963 Sugar Bowl capped a perfect 9-0 campaign. He also added a 38-7 blowout of Texas in the 1958 Sugar Bowl, a 21-0 shutout of LSU in the 1960 Sugar Bowl and a 27-22 win over No. 3 Arkansas in the 1970 Sugar Bowl. Vaught was an honor student, football captain, and, in 1932, All-America guard at TCU. His first college coaching job was as assistant at North Carolina from 1936-1941. He was a lieutenant commander in the Navy in World War II and went to Ole Miss as assistant coach in 1946, moved up to head coach in 1947. 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."
