The third annual RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner is set for Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport. The Voice of the Colonials and a 2012 inductee into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame, Chris Shovlin, will serve as master of ceremonies to induct six individuals and one team that make up the 25th annual class. In a special series leading up to the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame dinner, veteran Pittsburgh sportswriter Joe Bendel takes a closer look at each of the inductees. Today's feature is former men's basketball standout Vaughn Luton. For more information on how you can take part in the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner, please visit this link. Moon Township, Pa. – There is a vintage photo, circa 1989, in which a jubilant
Vaughn Luton is sitting atop the backboard at Charles L. Sewall Center. The photo was snapped moments after the Robert Morris basketball great had scored 25 points in a 67-66 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson in the Northeast Conference Tournament championship game.
Luton, named tourney MVP after averaging 20.0 points in two games, had fulfilled a childhood dream: He was on his way to the NCAA Tournament.
"It was something to remember," said Luton, who played three seasons at RMU after transferring in from Youngstown State. "Every kid dreams about going to the NCAA Tournament. I had the opportunity and it slipped through my fingers as a freshman at Youngstown State. For me to wait three years and to get there on my last go-round, it was great."
That the Colonials lost to Sean Elliott, Kenny Lofton -- who went on to play Major League Baseball for the Pirates and several other teams -- and a loaded Arizona squad days later did little to dampen the mood. Memories were made.
"I go to reunions or I'll see people who I haven't seen since high school or college and they bring it up," said Luton, a father of five who resides in McKees Rocks. "I always tell my kids that I played against some of the best. There were so many great memories, things that you never forget."
On Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport, Luton will be part of Robert Morris University's 25th Hall of Fame class. He's one of six individual inductees, along with the 1994 softball team. He is the class of 2015 veteran's choice.
The honor is deserved. A powerful, 6'6" forward, Luton scored 1,134 points and grabbed 517 rebounds in three seasons (77 games) for RMU Hall of Fame coach
Jarrett Durham. As a senior in 1989, he was named NEC Player of the Year after averaging 17.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. He shot 55.7 percent from the field.
"I'm honored," he said of the Hall of Fame selection. "I've been going to games on and off for some years now. I look in that trophy case and I see players who were there before and after me who've been honored. I thought, 'Maybe one day I'd be there next to them.' It's great to finally get there."
Luton works these days for the Collections and Recovery Department of a major corporation. The job, which entails collecting on commercial, medical and rental accounts, among others, has taken him to Texas, Arizona and, ultimately, back to Pittsburgh in the past 20 years.
"You can make a good living, but it's not for everybody," Luton said.
At Robert Morris, Luton had the luxury of playing in what was practically his backyard. He grew up in Coraopolis, Pa., and was a star football and basketball player at Cornell High School. He believes that his transfer from Youngstown State, where he started as a freshman, not only reinvigorated his basketball career, but had a profound impact on his teammates.
"I'd take guys home with me, and they'd get to know my friends and family -- the community," said Luton, who played alongside players such as Wade Timmerson and Scott Shepherd. "I think it brought the team closer together, because we had a lot of young players, especially when I was a senior. We were a tight-knit group."
Luton added that Durham, who led the Colonials to three NCAA Tournaments in his career, ultimately fueled the team's success.
And kept Luton in line.
"He was a father to me while I was there," Luton said. "He was strict. I'm not always an easy person to get along with, I'm sure. I was stubborn, and I'm sure that I thought I was the greatest thing since sliced bread. But he made us play as a unit. There would be no egos. He orchestrated all of it."
Beyond the NCAA Tournament appearance, another great memory came in the season opener of Luton's senior year. The Colonials went to Morgantown and defeated West Virginia, 75-67.
"That was a big for our university -- we were still Robert Morris College back then," Luton said. "Everybody was shocked. We were on the cover of
USA Today. It got us notice."
Jim Elias, who was an assistant on Durham's staff for that victory, recalls an uber-competitive Luton in that game -- and beyond.
"Vaughn put us on his back and carried us against West Virginia," said Elias, who spent 14 years as an RMU assistant before serving in his current capacity as a broadcast analyst. "I think they had won something like 88 in a row at the Coliseum. I believe that really jump-started our success. With a player like Vaughn, he refused to lose. He was a winner, that's one of the best ways to describe him. He'd always hit the big shot. Even if he wasn't playing great on a given night, he'd make a big play at the end, a tip-in, a basket. He was a hard-nosed guy."
Luton was a tough guy. He had opportunities to play Division I football, just like older brother, John, who won a national title in 1982 as an outside linebacker at Penn State, but basketball was his first love.
"I think about what might have happened if I played football, but I'd never change a thing," Luton said.
After Robert Morris, Luton was drafted to play in the Continental Basketball Association with Wichita Falls, Tex., but it was short-lived.
His career was over ... with no regrets.
"I'm thankful for the time I did play," Luton said. "It was a great experience."
