Student Athlete Profile: Bernie Vaughn

By: Steve Giles

Imagine the feeling you would get if you were the first person in history to achieve something. Just think of the Wright Brothers and how excited they must have been when they finally got that first airplane to fly. Think of Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon and how monumental of an achievement that was not only to him, but also to the millions of people around the world who witnessed it.

Being the first person to do something is just as important to the individual who achieves it as it is to the community who sees it happen. The same holds true for junior Bernie Vaughn and the St. Frances Academy community.

Vaughn was the first starting quarterback in St. Frances Academy football history. And when it finally came time to take the first snap in a real game, the thought of making history was surely lingering in the back of his mind.

"Personally, I was nervous because not only was it the school's first game but I also hadn't played football in about a year. But after that first hit, the butterflies went away and I was ready to play," Vaughn said.

This was clear from the Panthers' first offensive play of the season -- a rollout pass to the left complete to wide receiver Derek Johnson.

The Panthers lost that first game, 35-12, to the Delmar Wildcats, but they came back the next week to beat St. George's Tech, 25-14, to earn the first win in school history. Vaughn performed well, connecting with Marcus Snipes for a 55-yard touchdown for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.

But long before Vaughn was leading comebacks for St. Frances, he was playing football for the Charm City Buccaneers recreational team. He played for the Buccaneers from age seven until he got into high school, where he played football and basketball for Woodlawn during his freshman year and the first half of his sophomore year.

Vaughn then decided to transfer to St. Frances to play basketball. But when he learned that St. Frances was starting up a football team, he was excited at the opportunity to be a part of the newly formed squad.

"I was happy because football was always my favorite sport growing up. Coach Mike [Clay] came and introduced himself and I told him I played football and it went from there," Vaughn said.

Once it was established that St. Frances would be starting a football team, Coach Clay put together a meeting with the students and their parents. He told them that there would be a no-cut policy and that every player would have an equal shot to show the coaching staff what they were made of.

It didn't take long for Vaughn to show off his skills and earn his spot as the starting quarterback. It also didn't take long for the rest of the players to show that they were going to take this season very seriously.

"All the guys came out and worked hard over the summer. It took a little bit for everyone to get on the same page, but eventually we all gelled together," Vaughn said.

The team could have come out and just been happy to have the chance to play. Not this group. The players took on their coach's personality, and the expectations grew higher each time they stepped out on the field.

"The expectations were high from the very beginning. We're not kids anymore and we're not playing youth ball. We expect to be good and coach expects the same," Vaughn said.

Vaughn expects only the very best out of his team, but he also expects a lot out of himself. He has aspirations of playing football at Villanova University and continues to work hard to make that dream come true.

"Coach Clay is a popular guy and he has a lot of connections. St. Frances has a history of getting students into college through both sports and academics, and I hope I can continue that tradition," Vaughn said.

Even if Vaughn continues to play football in college, his name will forever be associated with what he accomplished at St. Frances.

"The name Bernie Vaughn is in the record books now," Vaughn said. "It feels good to be the first quarterback in school history because my name will carry on and everyone will know who I was."

Posted November 17, 2008