Johnny Vaught

John Howard Vaught (May 6, 1909 – February 3, 2006) was an American college football coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 1947 to 1970 and again in 1973.

Born in Olney, Texas, Vaught graduated as valedictorian from Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth, Texas and attended Texas Christian University, where he was an honor student and was named All-American. Vaught served as a line coach at the University of North Carolina under head coach Raymond Wolf from 1936 until 1941. In 1942, Vaught served as an assistant coach with the North Carolina Pre-Flight School. After serving in World War II as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, he took a job as an assistant coach at Ole Miss in 1946, and was named head coach a year later. After winning the university's first conference title in his initial season in 1947, he led the Rebels to additional Southeastern Conference titles in 1954, 1955, 1960, 1962, and 1963.

Vaught is the only coach in Ole Miss history to win an SEC football championship. Three of his teams, in 1959, 1960, and 1962, won shares of the national championship. His 1960 team received the Grantland Rice Award from the Football Writers Association of America. Vaught took Ole Miss to 18 bowl games, winning 10 times including five victories in the Sugar Bowl. Only two coaches held a winning record against Vaught: Paul "Bear" Bryant, with a record of 7 wins, 6 losses, and 1 tie against Vaught, and Robert Neyland holding a 3 win to two loss advantage.

Vaught's overall record at Ole Miss was 190 wins 61 losses and 12 ties. When Vaught was named Ole Miss head coach, the university ranked 9th in all-time Southeastern Conference football standings. When he retired in 1970, Ole Miss had moved up to third. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. In 1982, Ole Miss revised the name of its football stadium from Hemingway Stadium to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in his honor. On February 3, 2006, Vaught died at the age of 96 in Oxford, Mississippi.