In his fifth season as head coach of The University of Texas-Pan American track and field program, Ricky Vaughn has seen the program as a whole rise to a level that was once previously thought to be unimaginable.

With more than 15 years of coaching experience under his belt, Vaughn has trained and developed six NCAA national champions, 31 All-Americans, 10 Western Athletic Conference champions and one Southeastern Conference champ. In addition, he coached Alex Papadamitrious, who was a 1996 Olympian and is the national record holder for Greece in the men's hammer. He has also trained Mexico's national record holder for the women's discus.

In his third season at the helm of the UT - Pan American track and field program, Vaughn guided six student-athletes for the second consecutive season to the NCAA Division I Regional Championships in College Station, TX. That season, junior Isaac Ybarra advanced in the hammer throw to the NCAA Division I Outdoor National Championships in Austin, TX, where he missed advancing to the All-American round by one place. It was only the second time in program history that a male UTPA track and field performer had advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor National Championships. Under Vaughn's tutelage, Ybarra has become the program's record holder in the indoor weight throw and shot put as well as the outdoor hammer throw and discus.

Along with Ybarra, the Broncs and Lady Broncs were also represented by Rashaad Ben (110 meter hurdles), Marlin Manley (high jump), Jeff Martzall (pole vault), Rowena Hamlet (400 meter hurdles) and Amy Moses (hammer throw). Every one of those athletes to advance to the regional championships ended the season by capturing the all-time program record in each of their respective events. Ben also a provisional qualifier during the indoor track and field season in the 60 meter hurdles.

The previous season, Moses became the first female student-athlete to ever qualify for the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships. The UTPA junior set a program record at Notre Dame's Alex Wilson Invitational with a hurl of 65-1 in the 20-lb. weight throw, which was the ninth best throw in the country that season. That toss also ranked her number one in the event in her native country of Canada. She finished 15th at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships.

Under Vaughn's guidance and leadership, the men's program produced its first three-time All-American in Westly Keating. A transfer from Texas, Keating earned a pair of All-American honors in cross country where he placed seventh as a junior and 25th in the previous season. He also finished 11th in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division Outdoor Championships. Vaughn has helped Keating achieve 12 individual championships, nine program records, a pair of Independent Cross Country Runner of the Year awards as well as UTPA's Male Student-Athlete of the Year award in 2003.

In the spring of 2003, UTPA sent six student-athletes to the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional Championships where it finished in 25th place. The Broncs were represented by Keating (5000 meters), Manley (high jump), Ben (110 meter hurdles), Martzall (pole vault) and Robert Lopez (hammer throw). Deneb DeLuna (shot put) was the lone Lady Bronc to compete at the regional meet.

Vaughn joined the Louisiana State University track and field program as its top assistant coach in 1999. He was part of a coaching staff that guided the Tigers to a 2001 men's indoor national title. That outdoor season, LSU sent 23 student-athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships en route to a fifth-place finishing. He also trained and developed Blake Theriot, who became the first LSU javelin thrower to earn All-American honors and captured the SEC championship in over a decade. In addition, he helped coach the women's program to a 2000 NCAA Outdoor National Championship along with a 1999 SEC women's indoor title.

Prior to joining the track and field program at LSU, Vaughn spent four seasons at UTEP, coaching both the men's and women's program while serving as the recruiting coordinator. A well-respected recruiter, Vaughn was responsible for signing 21 All-Americans during his time with the Miners. During the 1996-97 season, he helped guide UTEP to the Western Athletic Conference men's outdoor championships. In 1995, he guided Papadamitrious to the NCAA national championships in the 35-pound weight throw as well as a runner-up finish in the hammer throw. A year later, he watched as Harri Vahauihu was the NCAA runner-up in the weight throw.

Vaughn served as the field events and strength and conditioning coach for the men's and women's track and field and cross country programs at Ashland University in Ashland, OH. During his tenure with the Eagles, Vaughn guided several student-athletes to NCAA Division II national championships, including shot putter Leether Green - who held the women's NCAA Division II record.

Vaughn competed in the hammer throw at the 1992 United States Olympic Trials and was also invited to participate in the U.S. Olympic Festival and USA Track and Field Championships. During his post-collegiate career, Vaughn was ranked as high as seventh in the nation in the hammer throw between 1989 and 1994.

As a student-athlete for the Rams of Angelo State University, Vaughn was a three-time All-American and captured a pair of Lone Star Conference championships in both the discus and hammer throw.

Vaughn graduated from Angelo State University with a bachelor's degree in physical education with a minor in biology in 1989. While coaching at Ashland University, he earned his master's degree in education in 1991. Vaughn is married to the former Mary Rose, and the couple has a pair of sons - Reid (eight) and Rawley (five). The family resides in Weslaco.