Keeping the family connections alive at Florida A&M, Vaughn Wilson, a former All-America punter at FAMU, has taken over the SID reigns which his father, Roosevelt Wilson, successfully held for many years. Read online:
FAMU's Wilson follows in father's footsteps, by St. Clair Murraine, Tallahassee Democrat staff writer (www.tallahassee.com)
Roosevelt Wilson wasn't having one of his best days physically when he first heard that his son, Vaughn, was named interim sports information director at Florida A&M. But he sprung to his feet and asked his wife to count the numbers of plaques he'd won when he ran the department more than three decades ago.
He was loud enough for Vaughn to hear. Given the number of times that his father was honored by College Sports Information Directors of America, he understood his father's point right away — he had to do as good a job or better in the position.
"I don't look at it as pressure," the older Wilson said Monday. "I look at it as what's needed to be successful. I don't see how any other way would be satisfactory."
Vaughn Wilson, 43, has been getting great public reviews since he took over the position as a replacement for Alvin Hollins, who was fired last fall. Within three weeks on the job, Wilson put FAMU sports into social network realm with the addition of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
By the start of football season this fall, there will be a revamped website for FAMU fans to find information about their teams, Wilson said. Meanwhile, fans can enjoy additions such as photo galleries and more timely updates on their teams.
"Today's society is so multimedia and photo oriented," he said. "You have to do that or they won't come back to your website. It has to become automatic. When the story comes you have to be ready for it. Our sports information department now resembles a newsroom."
The newsroom approach is something that Wilson learned from his dad, former owner of the Capital Outlook newspaper. Roosevelt Wilson also ran the sports information office from 1969 to 1977 and later was athletic director (1980-85).
During the years that his father was SID, Wilson was almost always in tow. He and his older brother, Van, ran statistics and quotes for their father. Vaughn later became a sports writer for his father's newspaper, a position he held until he was hired by FAMU last October.
"It's natural," Wilson said of his son being the fit for the job. "He knows the business. He is my son but even if he wasn't my son I would have to say he is the right one for the job.
"When he was named to the position, I knew he could do it and do it well. He knows what the standard is and what is expected."
Ironically, the office where Roosevelt worked is the same one that his son is working from. Adjacent to it, Ronnie Johnson, the other half of the two-man department, now has an office of his own.
Wilson has divvied up their work to fit each of their strong suites — he handles publications and contact with the media, while Johnson's focus is on statistics.
"Ronnie is oil that makes the engine work," Wilson said. "Ronnie has such respect that when we went to South Carolina State last year (to play the Bulldogs football team), they asked him to keep the official statistics because they know of his expertise."
Wilson's ties to FAMU isn't just through his father - he was punter for the football team from 1985-88. During his four seasons, he was a two-time All-American and set seven records - including one for the most yards (2,812) in a season. It's the only one of those records that now stands.
Between his own achievements and the legacy of his father, there are moments when he gets sentimental about his work. Most times it's when he's under the gun.
"It's sentimental when things get tough," he said. "In my heart, I know I'm working for my university when difficulties come. It helps me to push through. I feel an ownership at FAMU."