Terry Vaughn (referee)
{{Short description|American soccer referee (1973–2023)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|biography|date=May 2023}}
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{{Infobox person
| name = Terry Vaughn
| birth_date = {{birth date|1973|04|01}}
| birth_place = Mount Vernon, Iowa, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|05|04|1973|04|01}}
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| occupation = Soccer referee
}}
Terry Vaughn (April 1, 1973 – May 4, 2023) was an American soccer referee.
Early life
Terry Vaughn was born in Mount Vernon, Iowa, on April 1, 1973. He graduated from Iowa City West High School in 1992, where he was a wrestler and soccer player. He attended Coe College and decided to enter refereeing instead of continuing his career as a player.
Career
In 1998 Vaughn became a National referee for the United States Soccer Federation. He continued to hold a referee license until his retirement in 2012. During his career, Vaughn officiated 237 Major League Soccer matches.{{cite news |date=May 4, 2023 |title=MLS mourns the passing of MLS and FIFA referee Terry Vaughn |url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-mourns-the-passing-of-mls-and-fifa-referee-terry-vaughn |work=MLSsoccer.com |accessdate=May 4, 2023}}
Vaughn was appointed to the FIFA panel in 2003 and oversaw matches in the 2009 and 2010 CONCACAF Champions League, the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Vaughn was also a member of the FIFA Panel for the United States Soccer Federation.
Personal life
Vaughn was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disease, at the age of 30 in 2003. He retired from refereeing in 2012 after his symptoms worsened.{{cite news |last=Boehm |first=Terry |date=May 16, 2017 |title=Soccer community rallies behind Terry Vaughn's battle with Huntington's |url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/soccer-community-rallies-behind-terry-vaughns-battle-huntingtons |work=MLSsoccer.com |accessdate=May 4, 2023}} He died on May 4, 2023.{{cite news |last=Ford |first=Nathan |date=May 4, 2023 |title=Terry Vaughn, former FIFA and MLS referee from Eastern Iowa, dies after Huntington's Disease battle |url=https://www.thegazette.com/soccer/terry-vaughn-former-fifa-and-mls-referee-from-eastern-iowa-dies-after-huntingtons-disease-battle/ |work=The Gazette |location=Cedar Rapids, Iowa |accessdate=May 4, 2023}}
As a show of solidarity, PRO referees started wearing blue wristbands with "HD" (for Huntington's Disease) during May, Huntington's Disease Awareness Month. {{Cite web |date=May 4, 2023 |title=Terry Vaughn: 1973-2023 |url=https://proreferees.com/2023/05/04/terry-vaughn-1973-2023/?fbclid=IwAR1rDP5Fhob76MFjn5Q7uRKJefGE_XWvj--P19hNHuFQ3AZ4eMoe6L-b2Gg |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=Professional Referee Organization (PRO)}} This began a trend of referees from grassroots to PRO wearing the bands year - round. US Soccer's official uniform supplier began selling the wristbands with the proceeds going to Terry Vaughn's family to help offset medical costs.{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2023 |title=Official Sports International |url=https://officialsports.com/1443hd-blue-hd-wristband-set-of-2/?fbclid=IwAR0QzCz7sS4ERjvF7s1AHevWnN3WRCIyaWxpt_hbM3fs8aQ3fmW-wCb81mk |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=Official Sports International}}
A page on GoFundMe was founded to help Terry and his family pay medical bills by a fellow referee.{{Cite web |last=Keefer |first=Ryan |date=2016-09-13 |title=Former MLS referee diagnosed with Huntington's |url=https://www.blackandredunited.com/2016/9/13/12901276/terry-vaughn-us-soccer-mls-huntingtons-disease |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=Black And Red United |language=en}}