After attending Bessemer City High School in Alabama, Baughan played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1957 to 1959.
[2] In 1959, he was Georgia Tech's captain, a consensus All-American, the Southeastern Conference Lineman of the Year, and the Most Valuable Player in the 1960 Gator Bowl.
[1] He joined the Eagles and became a starter immediately at the rightside linebacker position, starting nine of 12 games in his rookie season as the Eagles went on to win the 1960 NFL Championship over the Green Bay Packers, which remained the team's last league title until Super Bowl LII in the 2017 season.
However, George Allen, who was entering his first season as an NFL head coach with the Los Angeles Rams, won the right to Baughan's services by sending two players (linebacker Fred Brown and defensive tackle Frank Molden[7]) to the Eagles in return.
Baughan and Allen would develop a strong relationship, spending extensive time studying game film together.
[4][10] Baughan's contractual rights were traded along with Jack Pardee, Myron Pottios, Diron Talbert, John Wilbur, Jeff Jordan, and a 1971 fifth-round pick (124th overall—traded to Green Bay Packers for Boyd Dowler) from the Rams to the Washington Redskins for Marlin McKeever, first and third rounders in 1971 (10th and 63rd overall—Isiah Robertson and Dave Elmendorf respectively) and third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounders in 1972 (73rd, 99th, 125th, 151st and 177th overall—to New England Patriots, traded to Philadelphia Eagles for Joe Carollo, Bob Christiansen, Texas Southern defensive tackle Eddie Herbert and to New York Giants respectively) on January 28, 1971.
[4] He finished with 18 interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown) and 10 fumble recoveries in 147 games played; Baughan also unofficially posted 24.5 sacks.
[19] Following two years with Minnesota, he coached the linebackers for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1992 to 1995, and then served in that same role with the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 until retiring after 1998.
[36] Baughan was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame on October 19, 2015, during the team's Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants.