Johnny Vaught, 96; Legendary Ole Miss Football Coach

Johnny Vaught, 96, who led the University of Mississippi to six Southeastern Conference football titles and 18 postseason bowl appearances in 25 seasons as football coach, died Friday night at an assisted living facility in Oxford, Miss.

“With the death of John Vaught, we lose an epic figure in 20th century college football,” said Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat, who once played for Vaught. “Universally recognized as one of the great coaches in American football history, he brought dignity, intellect, creativity and vision to the game.”

A native of Olney, Texas, Vaught played college football at Texas Christian University, where he was an All-America guard in 1932. He served in the Navy during World War II, coaching service football teams. In 1946, he joined the Ole Miss coaching staff and was named head coach in 1947.

Vaught’s teams lost only two Southeastern Conference football games from 1959 through 1963. Heart problems forced him into retirement in 1970, but he returned in 1973 after the team started poorly. He finished the season with a 5-3 record before again retiring.

An innovative coach, Vaught is credited with introducing split-T football to the Deep South. He also pioneered use of the rollout and spring-out options from the wing T and was among the first coaches to utilize the I and power-I formations.