MLB MVP Mo Vaughn Is a Member of Omega Psi Phi

Did you know that former American League MVP Mo Vaughn is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.? In fact, the slugger’s famous nickname, “the Hit Dog,” was given to him by his Omega Psi Phi line brothers while he was a student at Seton Hall University.

Maurice Samuel Vaughn was born on December 15, 1967, in Norwalk, Connecticut, and raised in Easton, Massachusetts, the son of a high school principal and an elementary school teacher. His mother taught him to swing a bat when he was just three years old, and he grew into one of the most feared hitters in college baseball. At Seton Hall, he earned three-time All-America honors and set the program’s single-season home run record, playing alongside future stars like Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.

The Boston Red Sox selected Vaughn in the first round of the 1989 draft, and he made his major league debut in 1991. Anchoring the heart of Boston’s lineup, the powerful first baseman became a fan favorite at Fenway Park. In 1995, he hit 39 home runs, drove in 126 runs, and batted .300 to win the American League Most Valuable Player award, then followed it with a career-best 44 homers and 143 RBIs in 1996.

Over a 12-year career with the Red Sox, Anaheim Angels, and New York Mets, Vaughn was a three-time All-Star who finished with 328 home runs. Just as important to him was his work off the field, where he was honored with the Bart Giamatti Award for community service and ran a youth development program in Boston.

Since retiring, Vaughn has channeled the fraternity’s principle of uplift into his business career, becoming a major developer of affordable housing. Through his company, he has acquired and rehabilitated more than a thousand units of distressed housing to provide low-cost homes for families in need. From Fenway Park to the front lines of community development, Vaughn has lived out Omega Psi Phi’s call to manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift.