Cleo Vaughn played basketball at Lima Central High School and was the first Black player to scholarship, start and earn a varsity letter for Ohio State.
File photo | The Lima News
The Veterans Committee of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, the most famous basketball shrine in the world, has tabbed two athletes with strong Lima ties for consideration for induction to its venerable collection of basketball greats.
Cleo Vaughn and Don Otten are not familiar names for recent generations of players and fans, but their basketball stories deserve to be honored and remembered.
Cleo Vaughn
Vaughn was born in Athens, Alabama, in 1933 but moved to Lima at a very early age. He was a legendary three-sport athlete at Lima Central High School and graduated with the Class of 1952. Vaughn also served as class president.
In an era when African-Americans were rarely provided an opportunity to play at the college level, Fred Taylor, an Ohio State assistant basketball coach at that time, journeyed to Lima to offer Vaughn a basketball scholarship. He turned Taylor down. Vaughn had taken a job at Sheller Globe and felt an obligation to his mother and grandmother to provide for them.
When his mother and grandmother found out about the offer, they told him in no uncertain words that he was to take advantage of the opportunity. Vaughn signed the scholarship and became the first Black athlete to scholarship, start and earn a varsity letter for the Buckeyes. He spent two years at OSU before dropping out to enter the Army, where he played football and basketball for the All-Army teams.
After his two years in the service, Vaughn used the G-I Bill to enter Alabama A&M and earned his degree. While there, he was named to the football and basketball Black College All-American teams. Vaughn then spent a couple years in the New York Yankee minor league system before returning to Lima, where he was employed as a social worker and was a fixture on the summer outdoor basketball courts at Bradfield Center and around Lima.
Vaughn loved teaching the game and inspired a generation of basketball players here. That group included a young Bob Seggerson. Vaughn was truly one of a kind. Vaughn later moved to Toledo, where he continued to work with youth and sponsored a very popular basketball camp.
Vaughn passed away in 2010. His sons created the “Cleo Vaughn Sports Group,” a sports, education and mentoring program designed to teach important life skills.
Don Otten
Otten was born in Bellefontaine in 1921 and was a graduate of Bellefontaine High School. He then enrolled at Bowling Green State University, where he played basketball from 1942-1946 and was the all-time leading scorer in Falcon history.
He led BGSU to three prestigious National Invitational Tournament appearances and was named a consensus All-American in 1946.
Otten is considered, along with George Mikan, as one of the early “Giants of the game of basketball.” He was listed at 6-foot-11 and is considered a reason for the goaltending rule change in 1945.
After graduating from BGSU, Otten began a seven-year professional basketball career. Otten began with the Tri-City Blackhawks in the National Basketball League, where he led the league in scoring and was named its most valuable player.
The following year, the Blackhawks joined the NBA. Over his NBA career, Otten played with the Washington Capitals, Baltimore Bullets, Fort Wayne Pistons and Milwaukee Hawks. He averaged double-figures over his NBA career.
Don Otten and his brother, Mac, were the first two brothers to play on the same NBA team. Otten also set a dubious professional basketball record that will never be broken. He was credited with committing eight personal fouls in a game. In that era, a player could stay in the game after committing a fifth personal foul if no other player was available on the bench.
After his professional playing career, Otten moved to Lima and was employed as an industrial engineer at the Ford Motor Company. In the mid-50s, Otten played with a legendary Lima Industrial League basketball squad that included Tom Williams (St. Rose/Ohio State) and Ray Deiringer (Wapakoneta St. Joseph/Dayton). Otten was also very active in community affairs over three decades and was a member of the Elks, VFW, Moose and Eagles service clubs.
Otten passed away in 1985 and is buried in the Shawnee cemetery.
The list of nominees for 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is lengthy, and Vaughn and Otten are probably considered a bit of a long shot. But that in no way diminishes their brilliant careers and lasting impact on the game of basketball.
Bob Seggerson wrote this column for LimaScores.com and can be reached at [email protected].
