John Vignone’s sporting odyssey is a rare Houston tale, drafted by the Astros and later playing for the Houston Texans of the World Football League.
HOUSTON — Houston sports history is filled with unforgettable stars, but sometimes the most lasting names are the ones you’ve never heard — until you hear their story.
John Vignone’s story sounds like a typo until you trace the timeline: he was drafted by the Houston Astros, and later played for the Texans — not the NFL Texans, but the Houston Texans of the short-lived World Football League.
Vignone was an old-school, three-sport athlete at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, a small school that nonetheless produced a player talented enough to catch the Astros’ attention in the first year of baseball’s amateur draft.
Houston selected Vignone in the 63rd round of the inaugural 1965 MLB draft. In the minors, he showed promise early — earning all-star recognition in his first professional season and later emerging as one of the top hitters in another minor league stop.
But his climb through baseball stalled. An injury derailed his progression, and Vignone walked away from the sport at 24, a decision that typically ends a professional athlete’s story.
His didn’t end — it pivoted.
After coaching for a period, Vignone switched sports, lured back onto the field by his former college coach, who had taken a job with a minor league football team in Orlando. The move opened an unexpected door: Vignone earned a brief opportunity with the New York Giants.
The NFL stint didn’t become a permanent home, but it positioned him for the twist that makes his story uniquely Houston.
Vignone later joined the Houston Texans of the World Football League, again playing for that same college coach – Jim Garrett. This time, he wasn’t tracking fly balls — he was tracking receivers, lining up at safety on the Astrodome turf.
Vignone’s journey remains a rare Houston two-sport path: drafted by the Astros, then suited up for a Houston team called the Texans.
A career no one could have scripted — a strange but true Houston sports story.
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