The Greatest Phone Call Ever

By: D. Scott Fritchen

This is a story about a father's love. The most heartwarming story of the 2023 NFL Draft unfurled across NFL Network and ESPN on Saturday evening. There he was, Chris Vaughn, wearing a while dress shirt, leaning over a speakerphone, every word as clear as day, the Dallas Cowboys star logo hanging in the middle of the room, Jerry Jones to his right, Mike McCarthy to his left. There he was, Chris Vaughn, making the phone call of his life — "It was the best phone call I've ever made — ever," he later told reporters — to his son, Deuce Vaughn, the father's tone a rollercoaster of emotion, his voice cracking, and the father trying to stay professional in one of the most personal moments of his life.

"Hey buddy," Chris Vaughn said.

"How's it going?" Deuce answered.

"Hey," Chris said. "It's going good. This is dad. My phone wasn't working. … Lookie here, man, you want to come to work with me next week?"

Deuce, love in his voice, replied, "I wouldn't mind that at all."

#CowboysNation, get your tissues ready 🥹🤧

Chris Vaughn of the scouting department made the call to his son, @C_Vaughn22, to tell him he's officially a member of the #DallasCowboys 📞#CowboysDraft | @ATT pic.twitter.com/MszgQpRmhl
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 30, 2023

Cue the applause. Cue the cheers. Cue the tears. This was draft central turned waterworks central. Chris Vaughn has been with the Cowboys as a scout since 2017 and currently serves as assistant director of college scouting. The Vaughn family lives in Round Rock, Texas, less than three hours south of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — where Deuce rushed for 130 yards and one touchdown in Kansas State's 31-28 overtime victory against No. 3 TCU for the Big 12 Championship.

That game arrived on December 3. Vaughn played his final college game against No. 5 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on December 31. Deuce, a junior, a two-time Consensus All-American, and one of the most dazzling players in college football, rang in the new year by declaring for the NFL Draft.

Now the 5-foot-5, 176-pound 21-year-old is living out a dream. The Cowboys grabbed him in the sixth round with the 212th overall pick.

"Everybody who's really in the heart of the Dallas Cowboys is standing here with a tear in their eye," Jones told Deuce. "We're so happy to have you with the Dallas Cowboys."

Deuce replied, "I can't thank you enough."

Jones added: "What I really want to say is you earned every ounce of me being able to make this call. I'm so excited. There's just something magical about this moment that may be bigger than we realize talking to you on the phone. But you are now a Dallas Cowboy.

"Your daddy just handed the card in right here. Congratulations."

Here's the emotional reaction in the Cowboys' war room when the team used the 212th overall pick in the sixth round on Kansas St. RB Deuce Vaughn, son of Cowboys' assistant director of college scouting, Chris Vaughn. pic.twitter.com/wC5dWw7IJp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2023

Long before Deuce declared for the NFL Draft, Chris knew this time could come, where he'd be put into a situation of taking off the "dad" hat and putting on the "professional" hat. He handled it as well as anybody possibly could, excusing himself from the Cowboys' war room when the time arrived to address the prospects of drafting his son. He didn't do any scout work on Deuce, either, instead letting others on this team to handle that duty.

"I had not advocated for him, which is conflicting as a dad, but I've tried to be professional with something as personal as this," Chris later told reporters. "When we came into the meeting, he was the highest-rated guy we had (available), but I couldn't bring myself to say, 'Hey, let's look at this guy here,' because I wanted whoever to take him to take him because he — if he was Deuce Johnson and not Deuce Vaughn and his dad worked here, I wanted them to say this is a guy want here because we have a plan of him and we think he's going to be successful here.

"I'm very fortunate to be in a situation with the Jones' and Will McClay (vice president of player personnel) that made it easy on me, something that was very hard and very difficult, as easy as it could be. (They) didn't put me in tough situations to answer tough questions that I'd be conflicted about. When you say, 'Who's your favorite person in the draft?' I can't lie, but it just happens to be that little guy who played at Kansas State."

So much time has passed since Deuce, a K-State signee, stood inside the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex at the Texas Youth Football All-Star Showcase, talking to younger players about the importance of lifting and condition and being a good person and preparation and routine and work ethic.

Deuce was 18 years old. He was already studying K-State game tape. He was out the door training before the rest of the family awoke each morning. The stories roll on and on. How K-State running backs coach Brian Anderson and Chris had a longstanding friendship. How Chris Klieman was blown away by Deuce's high school film — "He's a home run hitter," Klieman said — and was an all-state performer looking for an opportunity.

He got his opportunity. Boy, did he get his opportunity.

And now he'll do so again. With his dad by his side.

"He's the hardest worker I know," Chris told reporters. "I just happen to be his dad. It's really refreshing to see that's what this league is made of — guys who have something that you can't put a measurement on. That's what he's always been. I expect him to be that when he gets his opportunity that he's earned as a player and just doing it the right way. I'm really excited. I'm so emotional because it's like your son working and trying to make a living and you're waiting to see if he'll make it. You're just kind of sitting there — what's going to happen? And when it does happen, there's a sense of relief and a sense of happiness that you can't explain unless, to be honest, you've been in that situation.

"To make that phone call after getting off the phone with him 15 minutes before, and he's probably at his lowest — he's a really mentally strong person and he has been his whole life and to here that little bit of doubt crack in his voice was tough because I couldn't fix it. It's out of my hands, it's out of his hands."

In the end, the father spoke through a speakerphone, teary eyes focused on him, as he made the phone call of his life.

He phoned his son with some life-changing news.

It's a moment that Wildcats and the Cowboys might always remember.

The father's love.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Deuce Vaughn

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