Vaughn Allen Dunbar (born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional football 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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for three seasons. He played college football for the

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Ath ...

, and earned All-American 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 ...

, 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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

of the NFL.

Early years

Dunbar was born in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. 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 as of the 2020 Censu ...

.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
Vaughn Dunbar
. Retrieved February 25, 2012. where he was a standout

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

player for the Snider Panthers.

College career

Dunbar first attended

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) is a public community college in Miami, Oklahoma. Established as the Miami School of Mines in 1919, NEO has an enrollment of approximately two thousand students. The Golden Norsemen is the school mascot. ...

, before accepting an

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

to attend

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...

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 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 National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

, and he played for the Saints in and again in and .Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Vaughn Dunbar
Retrieved February 25, 2012. 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 a first round draft pick of the XFL's

San Francisco Demons The San Francisco Demons (originally named San Jose Demons) were a short-lived springtime American football team based in San Francisco, California. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and ...

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 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...

. And has 3 children and is divorced.

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