Bill Austin RIP
- Thread starter Scarlet_Scourge
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Here's his Wikipedia entry:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Austin_(American_football)
First team All-America 1958
Sixth in Heisman balloting 1956
Rest in Peace, Bill
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Austin_(American_football)
First team All-America 1958
Sixth in Heisman balloting 1956
Rest in Peace, Bill
In addition to being a most talented football player, he was a very nice guy. I vividly remember watching him play - he was RU's single wing tailback - a superb running back. In 1958, RU was 7-0 after beating Lafayette at home. Bill hurt his (left) hand in that game. Afterward, they put that hand in a cast.
In those days, NCAA rules prevented you from playing if you wore a hard cast. Our next opponent was the Quantico Marines (the reason for that is another story). Quantico, obviously not an NCAA college, offered to allow Austin to play even with the cast. Rutgers declined. Behind Quantico 13-12, with about a minute remaining in the game, Bill's replacement fumbled away the ball on first down, at about the Quantico 10. I'll never forget walking up the aisle after the game ended on that dreary mid-November afternoon, turning back to see the scoreboard remind us that the final score was Quantico 13 Rutgers 12.
The next and final game of the season was at home vs. Columbia. The cast had been removed, but Bill did not play in the first quarter. Coach Steigman put him on for the first play of the second quarter. The score was 0-0. We had the ball on about our 40 yard line. In his first play, Austin ran for a 60-yard touchdown. Rutgers won that game 61-0.
In those days, NCAA rules prevented you from playing if you wore a hard cast. Our next opponent was the Quantico Marines (the reason for that is another story). Quantico, obviously not an NCAA college, offered to allow Austin to play even with the cast. Rutgers declined. Behind Quantico 13-12, with about a minute remaining in the game, Bill's replacement fumbled away the ball on first down, at about the Quantico 10. I'll never forget walking up the aisle after the game ended on that dreary mid-November afternoon, turning back to see the scoreboard remind us that the final score was Quantico 13 Rutgers 12.
The next and final game of the season was at home vs. Columbia. The cast had been removed, but Bill did not play in the first quarter. Coach Steigman put him on for the first play of the second quarter. The score was 0-0. We had the ball on about our 40 yard line. In his first play, Austin ran for a 60-yard touchdown. Rutgers won that game 61-0.
That game vs Columbia was the first RU game I attended. Austin scored 5 touchdowns in that game. I will always remember his famous quote regarding RU: At Rutgers, football is a part of college, not the other way around.
A true Loyal Son. RIP
A true Loyal Son. RIP
Here is the obituary on SK.com
http://www.scarletknights.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121015aad.html
http://www.scarletknights.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121015aad.html
My Dad took me to the Lafayette game the week before we played Quantico. We won 18-0. We failed on our extra points and if I my memory for what it is worth is that Billy Autin missed that game also. I recall that he excelled at rolling out for 2 point conversions. Going home from the Lafayette game, my father's friends teased him that RU was playing his favorite next week; my father was a WWII marine. My mom interceded the next Saturday for the Quantico game and had me go to confession. So coming out of church cleared of all sin I turned her car radio on and caught the last couple of minutes of the game. Unfortunately, our Hail Mary's were not answered and I learned that the power of prayer was not all that it was cracked up to be.
thanks for remembering. most of us would not remember billy austin. those days we were most often a beat down by princeton for our opener. and the game was always at princeton. why??? they continued through the 60's and 70's to suit up the cosmos iacavazzi's, the batman bruce wayne's and the walt schnickenberger's. was there to see charlie gogolak kick his 6 field goals against us at Palmer. I stood for the last one but only because the guy one row up dumped his case of rolling rock on the seats below.
but we did have billy austin...and now sadlyhe is gone.
Part of Rutgers has left but his contribution to RU Sports will never be forgotten
Rutgers football, lacrosse great Bill Austin dies at age 78
http://www.app.com/story/sports/col...rosse-great-bill-austin-dies-age-78/77114472/
Rutgers football, lacrosse great Bill Austin dies at age 78
http://www.app.com/story/sports/col...rosse-great-bill-austin-dies-age-78/77114472/
Billy actually passed away Sunday from Pulmonary Fibrosis (I started a thread somewhere...). He was a classmate and friend, of my father's, and am glad to have had the chance to meet and communicate with him the past couple of years. Big loss for the Rutgers community.
I believe that, in those single platoon days, in a quarter you could not come out and then go back in more than twice. I remember RU at Delaware in 1958 (RU 37 Delaware 20), toward the end of the first quarter (I think), Bill Austin was standing on the sideline and Coach Steigman told him to go back in. Bill said "I can't, coach, I'm dead", meaning that he had already been pulled twice that quarter. When sent in, players would have to check in with the Ref whose job was to log (on a small pad) players going out and coming in.
I recall that in the mid-1950's single platoon was legislated by the NCAA to reduce schools' football program expenses. In those days there were not a lot of colleges with specialty players, e.g. placekickers and punters. It was a different game.
