Don Vaughan is currently in his 30th year at the helm of the Colgate men’s hockey program, holding the most wins in program history with 453 at the start of the 2022-23 season.
- Six 20-win seasons
- Three NCAA Tournament berths
- 27 appearances in the ECAC Hockey Tournament
- Two-time ECAC Coach of the Year (2000, 2014)
- 56 All-ECAC Hockey honorees (11 First Team, 19 Second Team, 10 Third Team, 16 Rookies)
- 36 NHL draftees
- 14 NHL Alums
- 12 Perfect APR scores
- Seven All-Americans
- Five Hobey Baker Award finalists
- Three Colgate 1819 Award Winners
- Two ECAC Players of the Year
- One NHL All-Star
- One NHL Stanley Cup Winner
- One ECAC Goaltender of the Year
- One Hockey Humanitarian Award winner
- One Senior CLASS Award selection
COLGATE COACHING CAREER
Most recently, Vaughan led Colgate to an 18-18-4 record during the 2021-22 season, helping the team reach the ECAC Hockey semifinals in Lake Placid. Colgate defeated Yale in the first round of the conference playoffs and then upset No. 18 Cornell on the road in the quarterfinals. The regular season also saw the Raiders take down the #11/13 Big Red 2-1 in overtime. Colgate picked up a sweep against Vermont in a non-conference weekend series and also swept its season series against Yale.
The Raiders advanced to the ECAC Semifinals in the 2020-21 campaign behind six wins, including ones over No. 8/9 Clarkson, No. 13 Clarkson, and No. 10/11 Quinnipiac. Under Vaughan's leadership, Josh McKechney became the first First Team All-ECAC honoree since 2012, while Pierson Brandon picked up the program's first Best Defensive Defenseman accolade. Breaking out with two NHL draftees in the first-year class, Brandon and Alex Young were also each named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team.
In 2019-20, Raiders garnered a 12-16-8 overall record in the 2019-20 campaign, along with an 8-9-5 mark in the ECAC regular season. Colgate finished with the No. 8 seed for the ECAC Tournament, earning home ice for the First Round. The Raiders swept Brown behind a 3-0 shutout and a 3-2 overtime win, before the cancellation of the ECAC Tournament. It had marked the first time the Raiders swept a playoff series since the 2014-15 season.
Over the course of the year, Colgate earned two wins over nationally ranked opponents and posted four shutouts. The squad faced a tough slate featuring 15 nationally ranked opponents, and held its opponents scoreless on the power play 18 times on the year. Speaking to the team's depth, nine different Raiders held double-digit points on the year. Colgate was rewarded with votes in the USCHO poll on Dec. 9, 2019, a first since Oct. 22, 2018.
The 2018-19 season featured four wins over nationally ranked opponents on the Raiders way to a 10-23-3 overall record. Although Colgate held the only all-rookie goaltending group in the nation, the Raiders held its opponent scoreless on the power play 16 times and earned three weekend sweeps. In a 3-2 overtime win on Jan. 26, Colgate earned its first victory over Cornell since Feb. 8, 2014 while it also marked the Raiders first win in Ithaca since Jan. 27, 2012.
Vaughan previously led the Raiders to their 24th ECAC Hockey Tournament appearance in 2017-18 in his 25th season at the helm. It was a season in which Vaughan tallied his 400th career win by a 2-1 final at Brown, making him just the 24th coach in Division I NCAA Ice Hockey history to reach the milestone. The previous 2016-17 season was highlighted by Vaughan guiding the Raiders to the 1,000th win in program history, becoming the eighth ECAC Hockey program and 23rd team in college hockey history to do so. Additionally, his 961 games at the helm of the Colgate hockey program is the third-longest tenure in college hockey behind Rick Gotkin (Mercyhurst, 31 seasons), and Bob Daniels (Ferris State, 27 seasons).
Since the creation of the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) in 2003, Vaughan has set his student-athletes above the national average every year including 12 perfect APR scores in the 15 years of its existence. Within the conference, Vaughan has also had his athletes named to the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team 179 times since the awards creation in 2002.
The Raiders had begun the 2015-16 season being ranked in the top-20 of the USCHO.com Preseason Poll for the second straight year after a standout 2014-15 campaign. That year, the Raiders complied a 22-12-4 overall mark and an 11-7-4 record in league play, advancing to the ECAC Championship for the second consecutive season. Colgate was nationally ranked for majority of the year as it reached as high as No. 4 in both polls, and enjoyed individual success as defenseman Spiro Goulakos was named to the Senior CLASS Award, given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I Men’s Hockey.
Vaughan had previously led Colgate to a highly successful 2013-14 season that featured the Raiders first NCAA Tournament berth in nine seasons by an at-large record of 20-14-5. Piloting a youthful lineup of 17 underclassmen, Colgate recorded eight victories against ranked competition, before fittingly ending the season at No. 13 in both national polls. That same season, Colgate claimed the Mariucci Classic title in Jan. 2014 when it earned a pair of wins against No. 1 Minnesota and No. 2 Ferris State.
Under Vaughan’s tutelage, Austin Smith led the nation in goals in the 2011-12 season with 36, was named an All-American, and became Colgate’s first Hobey Hat Trick Finalist. He was the second ECAC Hockey Player of the Year under Vaughan, joining Andy McDonald (2000).
Vaughan’s 15th season was a special one, as on Feb. 16, 2008, he became the school’s all-time winningest coach as Colgate blanked Union 8-0. The Raiders enjoyed success during the campaign, including an upset of No. 7 Clarkson in the ECAC Semifinals.
During the 2005-06 campaign, Vaughan continued to lead Colgate to new heights, as the Raiders captured their second ECAC Hockey Regular Season title in three years, and won 20-plus games for the third consecutive season, a first in program history. The year prior, Vaughan recorded the most wins in his tenure, as he led the Raiders to 25 victories and a berth in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
AWARDS
Vaughan first led Colgate to national prominence during the 1999-00 season when he coached the Raiders to the NCAA East Regional and a final ranking of No. 9 in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine national poll. Vaughan’s effort in leading his team to 24 victories earned him his first ECAC Coach of the Year accolade, and received the Howard Hartman Award as Colgate’s Coach of the Year.
As the Raiders excelled in ECAC play during the 2013-14 season for a second place finish, Vaughan was recognized as the Tim Taylor ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. When Vaughan recorded his first 20-win season as Colgate’s head coach during the 1994-95 campaign, he was honored by his Colgate peers with his first Howard Hartman Award.
In 2004, Vaughan was presented with a Silver Puck Award by Colgate’s Silver Puck Club for his work with the Raider hockey program, before adding to his accolades in 2005 by being honored with the Maroon Citation for his record of service to the University.
On Nov. 11, 2007, President of Colgate University Rebecca S. Chopp announced the creation of the Donald F. Vaughan Endowed Coaching Chair for Men’s Ice Hockey. Vaughan is the only active coach in Division I Men’s Hockey to have an endowment in his name.
COACHING TREE
Vaughan has had a multitude of his Colgate players advance to professional hockey and into the coaching side of the game.
COACHES
Brad Dexter ’96 – Princeton Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach (ECAC), Former Colgate Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach (ECAC)
Andrew Dickson ’93 – Former Colgate Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach (ECAC), Detroit Red Wings Scout (NHL)
Alex Evin ’12 – Prince George Spruce Kings Head Coach (BCHL)
Ron Fogarty ’95 – Princeton Men’s Hockey Head Coach (ECAC), Former Colgate Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach (ECAC)
Mike Harder ’97 – Former Colgate Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach (ECAC), Nevada Jr. Wolf Pack
Shep Harder ’00 – Minnesota Wild Assistant General Manager (NHL), Former Colgate Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach (ECAC)
Jason Lefevre ’02 – Former Colgate Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach (ECAC)
John Lidgett ’15 – Des Moines Buccaneers Assistant Coach (USHL)
Joey Mormina ’05 – Hartford Wolf Pack Assistant Coach (AHL)
Matt Nicholson ’04 – Niagara Men’s Hockey Assistant Coach (Atlantic)
Byron Pool ’00 – Northern Michigan Men’s Hockey Associate Head Coach (ECHA)
Jeff Potter ’00 – Youngstown Phantoms Assistant Coach (USHL)
Dan Wildfong ’99 – Lone Star Brahmas General Manager and Head Coach (NAHL)
Jesse Winchester ’08 – Ottawa Senators Development Coach (NHL)
PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS
In his time at Colgate, Vaughan has had over 28 players go on to sign professional hockey contracts.
A standout 2000 graduate of the Colgate hockey program, forward Andy McDonald went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks after being named ECAC Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award finalist. A prolific professional hockey career, McDonald played six seasons with the Ducks, followed by six more with the St. Louis Blues where he served two as an assistant captain.
The list of Raiders reaching the NHL also includes 2008 graduate Jesse Winchester, who played with the Ottawa Senators for five seasons and one with the Florida Panthers, accumulating 70 points by 20 goals and 50 assists through 285 games played.
After graduating from Colgate in 2001, Corey Murphy garnered 36 points by nine goals and 27 points in the NHL through 91 games played with the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New Jersey Devils.
A 2006 graduate of Colgate, Kyle Wilson rose through the ranks after starting in the ECHL to the Hershey Bears of the AHL, before playing in 39 NHL games with the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Nashville Predators. After scoring his first NHL goal with the Blue Jackets, Wilson totaled 13 points by four goals and nine assists.
Mike Harder, one of Vaughan’s 1997 graduates, was a standout at both Colgate and in the professional ranks. After becoming Colgate’s all-time leading scorer and All-American, Harder went on to an illustrious career in the AHL and European leagues. Harder helped Hartford claim the AHL’s Calder Cup in 2000, and was a key figure in a 2004 championship in the German Elite League of the Duetsch Eishockey Liga.
Vaughan’s 2005 graduating class included Joey Mormina, who played 670 games in the AHL, garnering 151 points by 31 goals and 120 assists and earned an NHL appearance with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2007-08 season.
Colgate’s 2017-18 success featured goaltender Colton Point, who was named a CCM/AHCA All-American, Top-10 Hobey Baker Award finalist, and Mike Richter Award Finalist. A fifth round selection of the Dallas Stars in the 2016 NHL Draft, Point shattered a 55-year-old program record with a .944 save percentage and posted the second-best mark in the nation with a 1.74 goals against average. Point is currently playing in the American Hockey League with the Texas Stars.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Vaughan stepped away from the ice during the 2003-04 academic year to serve as the university’s interim athletics director, where under his leadership, Colgate Athletics achieved remarkable success. Five teams won conference championships, six coaches were honored as league coaches of the year, and the Raider football team advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA national championship game. Vaughan continues to serve Colgate in an administrative capacity as an assistant athletics director.
An active member of the American Hockey Coaches Association, Vaughan is a former chair of the group’s Division I Committee, and was previously a member of the NCAA Rules Committee from 1998 through 2002. Vaughan also spent three seasons on the NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Committee from 2006 through 2009.
BEFORE COLGATE
Vaughan began his coaching career as a player/coach with the Enschede Lions of the Dutch Professional Hockey League during the 1984-85 season, before returning to the United States to serve as a graduate assistant coach at St. Lawrence during the 1985-86 campaign.
While working as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence for the next two seasons, Vaughan specialized in coaching the special teams, served as the recruiting coordinator, and head coach of the junior varsity team. During his first season, St. Lawrence earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Vaughan was a player, before garnering both the ECAC Regular Season and Tournament titles in the following 1988 season. The Saints ultimately advanced to the NCAA Championship in 1988, where they fell to Lake Superior State in overtime.
Vaughan’s coaching career next brought him to Cornell, where the Big Red reached the ECAC Final Four during both of his two seasons with the program. His personal string of ECAC Final Four appearances extended to six as he completed his second stint as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence, where Vaughan earned his second ECAC Tournament Title and made his third trip to the NCAA Tournament.
A 1984 graduate of St. Lawrence, Vaughan played three seasons of varsity hockey for the Saints after earning All-America status in his only season at Canton College. While with the Saints, Vaughan tallied 41 goals and 49 assists for 90 points in 96 games as a center. In 1983, Vaughan and St. Lawrence earned an NCAA Tournament appearance and first-place finish in the ECAC’s West Region. He graduated from St. Lawrence in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in economics, later earning a master’s degree in general studies in 1987.
Vaughan and his wife Mariel have two children, Mark of Dublin, Ireland, and Maria of Albany, New York.
