April 26, 2009

Wake Forest increased its number of drafted players to four on Sunday when safety Chip Vaughn and middle linebacker Stanley Arnoux were each drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round.

Vaughn was taken as the 116th player taken in the draft and Arnoux followed two picks later at No. 118.

In addition, placekicker San Swank was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent on Sunday night.

For Wake Forest, it marks the first time that four Deacons have been selected by NFL teams in the same draft since 1953. In that year, a total of seven players were selected between the fourth and 29th rounds.

In 1961, a total of five Wake players were selected between the NFL and the fledgling American Football League. Norm Snead, Bob McCreary and Gerry Huth were all drafted by NFL teams while Snead, Wayne Wolff and Bob Allen were selected by AFL clubs.

A total of 33 ACC players were selected in the draft. Maryland and North Carolina led the way with five players selected while Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Clemson each had four selections.

Vaughn was Wake's third-leading tackler last fall with 87. He had two interceptions for 37 yards as a senior.

Arnoux was one of only four Wake players to start three bowl games. The second-fastest linebacker behind Aaron Curry at February's NFL Combine, Arnoux was second on the team behind Curry with 89 tackles last fall.

Swank is Wake Forest's all-time leading scorer with 337 points. He set school records with 124 career PATs and 71 field goals. Swank concluded his career 16th in NCAA history in career scoring.