Vaughn Allen Dunbar (born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for three seasons. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the demonym for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

, and earned consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

accolades. A first-round choice in the

1992 NFL draft The 1992 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992, at the Marriott M ...

, he played professionally for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

and

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

of the NFL.

Early years

Dunbar was born in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

.National Football League, Historical Players
Vaughn Dunbar
Retrieved February 25, 2012. He graduated from R. Nelson Snider High School in Fort Wayne,databaseFootball.com, Players, . Retrieved February 25, 2012. where he was a standout

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

player for the Snider Panthers.

College career

Dunbar first attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, before accepting an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

to attend

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

and play for the Hoosiers teams in 1990 and 1991. His smooth and shifty running style and physique reminded many commentators of Florida's Emmitt Smith. With 4.5/4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash, Dunbar made up for the lack of explosive speed with "between the tackles toughness," outstanding balance and vision. He was one of the first in college to wear a reflective/shaded facemask visor making it difficult for Big Ten defenders to see where his eyes were looking. Dunbar and fellow Hoosier running back Anthony Thompson brought national media attention to the Hoosiers' often overlooked football program. As a senior in 1991, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and finished sixth in

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

balloting after being ranked second in the nation in rushing yards per game. *1990: 250 carries for 1,224 yards with 13 TD. 16 catches for 122 yards. *1991: 364 carries for 1,805 yards with 12 TD. 29 catches for 263 yards.

Professional career

The New Orleans Saints selected Dunbar in the first round, 21st pick overall, of the

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

. He played for the Saints in and again in and . He finished his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. In his three NFL seasons, he compiled 965 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 267 carries. Dunbar was subsequently the sixth overall draft pick of the XFL's San Francisco Demons in 2001. He started all games for the first 4 weeks but was released after gaining just 29 yards on 25 carries. He subsequently retired from professional football.

Life after football

Dunbar now works for Precision Hose, Inc. in

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 as of 2020. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square miles. It lies near and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunbar, Vaughn 1968 births Living people All-American college football players American football running backs Indiana Hoosiers football players Jacksonville Jaguars players New Orleans Saints players San Francisco Demons players Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen football players Players of American football from Fort Wayne, Indiana

Early years

College career

Professional career

Life after football

See also

References