He was born in nearby Hodges Park, Illinois, then moved with his family to Portland, Oregon before returning to Tamms at age 7.

Vaughn also is the all-time leading scorer for Southern Illinois, where he scored 2,088 points for the Salukis and had his uniform number (20) retired by the school.

After leaving college, Vaughn played five seasons (1962–67) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the St. Louis Hawks and Detroit Pistons.

Vaughn was the fourth leading scorer (19.9 points per game) on the 1967–68 Pipers team which won the 1968 ABA Championship.

This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1940s is a stub.