Ralph Vaughn (2001) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Ralph Vaughn

Induction:
2001
Class:
1940

Ralph Vaughn was called "the Larry Bird of his era." A 1940 All-American forward, he was a member of USC's first NCAA Tournament team that season and helped the Trojans to the national semifinals. LIFE magazine named him its College Player of the Year in 1940. A 3-year starting letterman, he topped Troy in scoring each season, was All-Conference each year and was named USC's MVP in 1938. His 894 career points was a Trojan record that lasted 15 years. His 36-point outburst versus UCLA in 1939 was a conference record. USC went 57-17 during his tenure with a pair of 20-win seasons (1939-40) when it won conference titles (the 1940 squad started off 13-0 and its win over Long Island in Madison Square Garden snapped that school's 42-game winning streak). He then went on to a 7-year stint in the National Basketball League before beginning a career as a business executive. He was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976. He died on June 7, 1998, at age 80.