Justin Vaughn Comes Home: Life-long Tiger-Cats fan drafted by the Black & Gold
The year is 1990. Rookie running back Michael Vaughn straps on his pads, pulls his #24 Tiger-Cats jersey over his head, and steps onto the turf at Ivor Wynne Stadium. It was the first CFL game for the three-time all-conference running back from Mesa State University (now Colorado Mesa University). Ultimately, it would prove to be his last season as well. After spending the season on the Ticats practice roster and appearing in just one regular season game, Michael moved on from the game of football and turned his focus to other pursuits.
A native of Denver, Colorado, Michael chose to remain in Hamilton after his stint with the Tiger-Cats. It was in Hamilton that he started a family and raised his son Justin, who would go on to be the Tiger-Cats 5th round pick in Sunday’s 2017 CFL Draft.
Michael engrained numerous values in his son from a young age, above all an unconditional love for his hometown and the game of football.
“Ever since I was born I had a football in my hands,” says Justin, who grew up as a minor football player in Hamilton, dreaming of playing for the Tiger-Cats.
“Growing up in this city, you wanted to be a Ticat. You wanted to be able to go down to Ivor Wynne and play, or watch the Tiger-Cats play. Even if you couldn’t get in you would just walk by and hear the noise of the fans and the excitement,” remembers Justin fondly.
Justin’s football career was still in its infancy as a defensive lineman for Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School, but as fate would have it, he had the opportunity to play on the same field as his Tiger-Cats heroes.
“I won my first high-school championship game at Ivor Wynne. That’s something that will always stick with me,” said Justin.
After a successful high school football career and a short stint at Niagara Academy (now Canada Prep), Justin was offered a scholarship to Fordham University in New York City. The opportunity to play NCAA football represented the culmination of years of hard work, and the realization of a long-term dream. Unfortunately, it also meant moving away from the city he loved.
“I couldn’t sleep when I first got [to New York]. It was loud all the time. Everyone talks differently. I got homesick a little bit, coming down here. Sometimes I’d call home just to talk to my mom and my dad. [My dad’s] been so influential in my life,” said an appreciative Justin.
Justin leaned heavily on the support of his parents to overcome the difficulty of his first months away from home. He viewed attending an American university under full scholarship as his responsibility to his parents, preventing them from shouldering the burden of his tuition.
Adjusting well to his new surroundings, Justin turned in a stellar NCAA playing career, earning a starting spot in both of his final two seasons, and the title of Fordham Defensive Player of the Year in 2016. During Justin’s absence, there were big changes back home, as the aging Ivor Wynne was replaced by the state-of-the-art Tim Hortons Field on the same grounds walked by his dad, Michael, decades before.
After years of hard work, Justin had reached one of the final major hurdles between him and professional football: the 2017 CFL Draft. Justin was expectant, sitting on his couch with some close friends and girlfriend. Also present in the room, courtesy of Skype, was Justin’s family, streaming from Hamilton. The mood was tense as the picks mounted. All eyes were on the TSN live tracker. At pick 37, the phone rang. Justin answered. It was the Edmonton Eskimos, letting him know they would be announcing his name with one of their next two picks. Edmonton would pick again at 40.
Secure in the knowledge that he had landed a job with the Eskimos, Justin left to make some food. Just after he crossed into the kitchen there was a shout from the other room. “My girlfriend screams, ‘Your name is on the screen!’” recounts an excited Justin. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had taken him 38th overall, just ahead of Edmonton.
“I spit out my food and started crying. I hugged my girlfriend, told her I loved her, and just started crying,” laughs Justin.
Following the announcement, there was an explosion of excitement in the room. Justin’s dad was elated. His mom was in tears. The opportunity to play professional football in his hometown was a dream come true.
“In the back of my mind I always thought it would be so cool to come home and play in the city I grew up in,” admits Vaughn. “I can’t even describe it. The first thing I thought was, ‘I’m coming home.’”
Now Justin is looking forward to returning to Hamilton and picking up where his father left off. He is outspoken about what the city has meant to him. “I can’t wait to come home and just be committed 100% to the city and the fans. Let’s get to work,” said Justin.
This season, 26 years after his father donned the Black & Gold for the first time, Justin Vaughn is truly home.