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Terry Vaughn
Terry Vaughn, a former American professional football referee from Mount Vernon, Iowa, was born on April 1, 1971. From 1987 through 2012, he served as a representative for the United States Soccer Federation. In 2003, he obtained his FIFA badge. He was one of the top American authorities during the height of his career. Vaughn continued to referee until his retirement in 2012 after being diagnosed with Huntington's disease in 2003.

Vaughn officiated at a number of significant international tournaments, including the CONCACAF Champions League in 2009 and 2010, as well as the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007 and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2010.

The NISOA Hall of Fame has inducted Vaughn.

Vaughn's referee academy was renamed after him by the Iowa Referee Committee in 2016. Many FIFA referees have been through the Terry Vaughn Academy, including Kari Seitz, Mark Geiger, Brian Hall, and Kevin Stott.

Sickness
In 2003, when he was just starting to make a name for himself in the American professional referee ranks, he decided to take the DNA test he knew would give him an unmistakable answer: He was carrying the gene that caused Huntington's Disease, an incurable hereditary disorder that afflicted and killed Vaughn's father at the age of 49, as well as two uncles and his grandmother. Vaughn was 30 years old when he learnt that the disease would overwhelm his brain and nerve cells in a matter of years, disabling his mental ability and leaving him defenceless against the uncontrollable muscular twitching that would finally overcome him.