“I just always loved the sport of football,” said Madison High School senior Chase DeVaughn, also known as “The Ticket” by friends and family, who has been playing football for as long as he can remember. In fact, his name “The Ticket” was earned through his great work ethic and dedication as people saw him as a ticket out of the rough area he is from, Hiram Clarke. Not playing football is something that is beyond unimaginable for him, not only because his community believes in him, but because the sport will always hold a place in his heart.
DeVaughn’s football journey began at the age of three. He shared the interest with his older brothers who played football themselves. Growing up, he split his time between football, basketball, baseball, and track. Yet football has always been his number one sport, as he’s attended numerous football camps that have boosted his skill enormously and shaped him into the player he is today. At the age of four he played football at Townwood Park in Houston with the South Main Mustangs. In elementary school he attended the Vince Young Madison Alum Camp, Neil Brockers Football Camp, Brandon Lafells Football Camp, and a host of others all around the Houston area. When middle school came around, he continued to play Little League all the way through 6th grade to prepare for playing for a school team in 7th grade in which he attended Pershing Middle School. Here he attended the Houston Texans Annual Football Camp at NRG, where every year he attended he was titled MVP.
When DeVaughn graduated 8th grade, he immediately made the varsity football team at Madison High School his freshman year. “I think I was the only freshman on the varsity level at that time…and the rest is history they say,” said DeVaughn. Even though DeVaughn is nothing but talented and was born with athletic skills, his football career would not be as sturdy as it is now without the support of his loving parents. They have always supported him in tremendous ways as they are the reason behind all his amazing trainers, and Little League teams. “There’s not one game I’ve had and looked in the stands and did not see my parents there,” DeVaughn said. “With every sport they supported me through any condition.”
Aside from attending camps and doing practice drills in his free time to get better, DeVaughn sticks to his very own workout routine to build strength that will guarantee he be the best he can possibly be on the field, which includes 200 pushups every night, running, stretching, and lifting. He says he fell in love with working out and is now apart of his daily routine. Working on mobility is key to his improvement and is a must every day at home. DeVaughn feels that because of football, his daily workouts, and the sport itself helps him in every aspect of his life. “It teaches me to stick with it. It teaches me to work as a team and it gives me that grit to work hard in anything I do,” DeVaughn said.
DeVaughn looks up to J.J. Watt as a role model. He feels that Watt changed the Houston community in many ways just by living off of what he loves the most; football. Watt is a big inspiration to DeVaughn as he wants to help people with his football fortunes just like Watt does. In the future, DeVaughn plans to attend and play football for Morehouse College. “I want to leave my mark at Morehouse as the best to ever step foot on a football field there,” DeVaughn stated. He does not want to just be known as a football player, but as an entrepreneur who’s a one-man band with instruments to success.
