View source for Vaughn Dunbar

{{Short description|American football player (born 1968)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Vaughn Dunbar
| number      = 32
| position    = [[Running back]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1968|9|4|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]], U.S. 
| height_ft   = 5
| height_in   = 10
| weight_lb   = 204
| high_school = [[R. Nelson Snider High School|Fort Wayne (IN) Snider]]
| college     = [[Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College|NE State (OK)]] <br> [[Indiana Hoosiers football|Indiana]]
| draftyear   = 1992
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 21
| pastteams   =
* [[New Orleans Saints]] ({{NFL Year|1992|1995}})
* [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] (1995)
* [[San Francisco Demons]] (2001)
| highlights  =
* [[PFWA All-Rookie Team]] ([[PFWA All-Rookie Team#1992|1992]])
* [[Touchdown Club of Columbus#Jim Brown Award|Jim Brown Award]] (1991)
* [[Unanimous All-American]] ([[1991 College Football All-America Team|1991]])
* First-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1991 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1991]])
* Second-team All-Big Ten ([[1990 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1990]])
* [[1991 Copper Bowl]] Offensive MVP
| statlabel1  = Rushing yards
| statvalue1  = 935
| statlabel2  = Rushing average
| statvalue2  = 3.5
| statlabel3  = [[Touchdown]]s
| statvalue3  = 5
| pfr         = DunbVa00 
}}

'''Vaughn Allen Dunbar''' (born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[running back]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for three seasons.  He played [[college football]] for the [[Indiana Hoosiers football|Indiana Hoosiers]], and earned consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] accolades.  A first-round choice in the [[1992 NFL draft]], he played professionally for the [[New Orleans Saints]] and [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] of the NFL.

==Early years==
Dunbar was born in [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]].<ref name=nflprofile>National Football League, Historical Players, [http://www.nfl.com/player/vaughndunbar/2500484/profile  Vaughn Dunbar].  Retrieved February 25, 2012.</ref>  He graduated from [[R. Nelson Snider High School]] in Fort Wayne,<ref name=dbfprofile>databaseFootball.com, Players, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120324205334/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=DUNBAVAU01  Vaughn Dunbar]}}.  Retrieved February 25, 2012.</ref> where he was a standout [[high school football]] player for the Snider Panthers.

==College career==
Dunbar first attended [[Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College]], before accepting an [[athletic scholarship]] to attend [[Indiana University Bloomington]] and play for the [[Indiana Hoosiers football|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 (American football)|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==
{{NFL predraft
|    height ft = 5
|    height in = 9 5/8
|       weight = 204
|         dash = 4.55
|    ten split = 1.60
| twenty split = 2.65
|      shuttle = 4.19
|     vertical = 35.0
|     broad ft = 10
|     broad in = 0
|        bench = 17
|     arm span = 31
|    hand span = 9 3/8
}}

The New Orleans Saints selected Dunbar in the first round, 21st pick overall, of the [[1992 NFL draft|NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1992 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1992/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He played for the Saints in {{NFL Year|1992}} and again in {{NFL Year|1994}} and {{NFL Year|1995}}.<ref name="pfrprofile">{{Cite web |title=Vaughn Dunbar Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DunbVa00.htm |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>  He finished his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995.<ref name=nflprofile/>  In his three NFL seasons, he compiled 965 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 267 carries.<ref name=pfrprofile/>

Dunbar was subsequently the sixth overall draft pick of the XFL's [[San Francisco Demons]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ex-Bucs quarterbacks a focus in first draft|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|first=John C.|last=Cotey|page=9C|date=October 29, 2000}}</ref> He started all games for the first 4 weeks but was released after gaining just 29 yards on 25 carries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=XFL San Francisco Demons Press Release 19 |url=http://www.all-xfl.com/sanfranciscodemons/pressrow/archive/release19.shtml |website=All XFL}}</ref> He subsequently retired from professional football.

==Life after football==
Dunbar now works for Precision Hose, Inc.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaughn-dunbar-7b2051244/ | title=Vaughn Dunbar, LinkedIn}}</ref> in [[Stone Mountain, Georgia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.all-xfl.com/sanfranciscodemons/team/roster/vaughndunbar.htm | title=San Francisco Demons Roster - Vaughn Dunbar}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of college football yearly rushing leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{1992 NFL Draft}}
{{Saints1992DraftPicks}}
{{SaintsFirstPick}}
{{1995 Jacksonville Jaguars}}
{{1991 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}

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