After 30 years behind the Colgate bench, head coach Don Vaughan announced he was retiring.
Vaughan, the third longest serving coach in NHL history, has been at the helm of the Raiders since 1992. He departs with 470 victories, making him the winningest coach in program history. Overall, Vaughan went 470-504-123 with Colgate.
His accomplishments include six 20 win seasons, four NCAA Tournament appearances, and two ECAC Coach of the Year awards.
“It has been an honor to serve as the head coach of the Colgate men’s hockey program for 30 years,” Vaughan said in a statement. “It is hard to believe that so many years have passed since Colgate Athletic Director Mark Murphy gave this opportunity to a young assistant coach in 1992.
“In all these years, I have never looked at Colgate hockey as my program. I was simply the mantle-bearer and had so much help along the way. I am so fortunate to have worked alongside so many wonderful and talented administrators, assistant coaches, staff and colleagues. Thank you to our alumni and members of Silver Puck as well as Silver Puck President Jerry Quill. I have always been amazed at your support over the many years.”
Vaughan’s announcement follows a memorable postseason run after guiding Colgate to its first ECAC Hockey League championship since 1990. The second-ranked Vaughan Raiders defeated Quinnipiac 2-1 in double overtime in the semifinals before defeating the sixth-ranked at Harvard in the tournament. , marking the first championship title during Vaughan’s tenure.
Casey, Colgate’s president, said, “Don has been an amazing coach and leader at Colgate for more than 30 years.” He has sought and achieved success in athletics and academic excellence for his teams and student athletes. He was an exemplar of what Colgate is going for in our flagship coaches.”
Under Vaughan, men’s hockey continued to focus on graduating individuals committed to good citizenship and sportsmanship. The program seeks not only the championship trophy, but the best and brightest undergraduates to lift it.
Vaughan has developed and mentored over 200 ECAC Academic Members, 56 ECAC Hockey All-American honorees, seven All-Americans, five Hobey Baker Award winners, three Colgate 1819 Award winners, two ECAC Hockey Players of the Year, and an NHL Trophy One Stanley winner, one ECAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and one winner of the Hockey Humanitarian Award.
“Don has personified Colgate and Colgate hockey for the past 30 years,” said Colgate Interim Vice President and Director of Athletics Yariv Amir. “He and his staff recruited and mentored outstanding student-athletes who excelled on the ice and in the classroom. He led an active program within the Hamilton community and transformed the first Star Rink, and later the class of 1965 Arena, into a gathering place for the Colgate and Hamilton communities.”
Vaughan has coached 36 Raiders who were drafted into the NHL—or were drafted before they came to Colgate. The 2022-23 team includes two NHL draftees in forward Alex Young and goaltender Carter Gelander.
Another 34 Colgate players who were coached by Vaughan signed with NHL teams upon graduation. Among them is Andy McDonald, who won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks.
The most recent Colgate alumnus to sign with the NHL is Bobby McMahon, who made his professional debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this season.
Vaughan is stepping down from the position he has held since the 1992-93 season, when the Raiders played at Star Rink and Colgate was under President Neil R. Grabois.
One of Vaughan’s most impressive accomplishments has been leading the program to the ECAC Hockey Championship on a semi-annual basis. During his three decades at the helm, Colgate has made 27 appearances in the playoffs and reached the ECAC Championship weekend on 14 occasions.
In his final season, Colgate hosted the first round of the playoffs, a single-game knockout game against Dartmouth. The Raiders emerged victorious, 5-3.
It would be Vaughan’s last match in the Class of 1965 Arena.
The win over the Big Green was a best-of-three quarterfinal on the road against St. Lawrence. The Raiders swept the series, setting the stage for the team championship in Lake Placid.
“I’m proud of the work we’ve done here with so many people past and present,” said Vaughan. “The time is right. It has always been my intention that when the time comes to retire, I leave the program in a good place. The program is preparing to continue to challenge for more championships in the future.”
In the 2017-18 season, the Raiders appeared in their 24th ECAC Hockey Tournament, which was Vaughan’s 25th season as a coach. That same season, the team defeated the Browns 2-1, giving Vaughan his 400th career win at Colgate. At the time, he became only the 24th coach in NCAA Division I ice hockey history to reach this milestone.
In 2016-17, he led Colgate to its 1,000th win in program history, becoming the eighth ECAC hockey program and the 23rd team in college hockey history to achieve the feat.
In 2013-14 and 2014-15, the Raiders posted 20 consecutive winning seasons, and they earned a national ranking as high as #4 in both polls in 2014-15. The team reached the ECAC Championship Game in both seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2013-14.
Vaughan’s career at Colgate includes his stint as interim director of athletics, a role he held during the 2003-04 season, and which required him to step away from the team.
A two-time ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year, 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 survey. Vaughan’s effort in leading his team to 24 victories earned him his first ECAC Coach of the Year.
In 2004, Vaughan was awarded a Silver Puck 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 November 11, 2007, Colgate announced the creation of the Donald Vaughan Men’s Ice Hockey Coaching Chair. Vaughan was at the time the only active Division I men’s hockey coach to have an endowment in his name.
A 1984 graduate of St. Lawrence, Vaughan played three seasons for the Saints after earning All-America status in his only season at Canton College. While with the Saints, Vaughan scored 41 goals and 49 assists for 90 points in 96 games as a pivot.
In 1983, Vaughan and St.
Lawrence in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in economics, and later earned a master’s degree in general studies in 1987.
Vaughan, a native of Almonte, Ont., and his wife Marielle have two children, Mark of Dublin, Ireland, and Maria of Albany, New York
“As my father often said, ‘You can grow up, just never grow up,’” Vaughan said. “Mariel and I are looking forward to the next chapter and enjoying a quieter life here in the communities of Hamilton and Colgate.”
The national search for the next coach will begin immediately.