Bill Austin obit

Bill Austin -- former Oregon State standout, NFL player and coach -- dies at 84

 

He was not on the list.

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey -- Bill Austin, a Pro Bowl lineman for the New York Giants and a member of their 1956 NFL championship team, has died at his home in Las Vegas on Thursday. He was 84.

Austin's playing and coaching career included stints with eight teams and spanned almost four decades.

A 13th-round draft choice for the Giants in 1949 out of Oregon State, Austin played for the team from 1949-50 and from 1953-57. He played in 75 games in his seven seasons and was a Pro Bowl guard in 1954.

In 1958, he started his coaching career at Wichita State (Kansas). The following year, he became the Green Bay Packers' offensive line coach under Vince Lombardi. He held that position for six years before becoming the Los Angeles Rams' line coach in 1966.

Austin was the head coach in Pittsburgh from 1966-68. The Steelers were 11-28-3 during his tenure and he was replaced in 1969 by Chuck Noll, a Hall of Fame coach who held the job for 23 years and won four Super Bowls.

In 1969, Austin joined Lombardi's Washington Redskins as the offensive line coach. When Lombardi was diagnosed with cancer and had to relinquish his duties, Austin was promoted to head coach. The Redskins were 6-8 in 1970 and Austin was let go following the season.

He then coached the offensive lines for the Chicago Bears (1971), St. Louis Cardinals (1972), Redskins (1973-77) and Giants (1979-82). He concluded his career with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL (1983-84) and the New York Jets (1985).

Selected in the thirteenth round of the 1949 NFL draft with the 126th overall pick, Austin played seven seasons with the Giants, including the 1956 title year. He missed the 1951 and 1952 seasons due to military service in the U.S. Army, stationed in San Francisco and Tokyo. He made the Pro Bowl in 1954 and retired after the 1957 season.

Austin began his coaching career at Wichita University for a season in 1958, then joined first-year head coach Vince Lombardi as offensive line coach for the Green Bay Packers in 1959. Lombardi was the offensive coordinator of the Giants for the previous five seasons, including the 1956 championship year. Austin coached in Green Bay for six seasons, mentoring pulling guards Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston, and hall of famers Forrest Gregg and Jim Ringo. The Packers played in the NFL championship game for three consecutive seasons, with wins in 1961 and 1962.

Austin was born in San Pedro, California, but grew up in Oregon where he first began his football career as a high school guard. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.

He was married to Goodrun Austin for 56 years. The couple had four daughters, Barbara, Deborah, Pamela and Marietta, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Career history

As a player:

 

    New York Giants (1949–1950, 1953–1957)

 

As a coach:

 

    Wichita (NCAA) (1958)

    Assistant coach

    Green Bay Packers (1959–1964)

    Offensive line coach

    Los Angeles Rams (1965)

    Offensive line coach

    Pittsburgh Steelers (1966–1968)

    Head coach

    Washington Redskins (1969)

    Offensive line coach

    Washington Redskins (1970)

    Head coach

    Chicago Bears (1971)

    Offensive line coach

    St. Louis Cardinals (1972)

    Offensive line coach & running backs coach

    Washington Redskins (1973–1977)

    Offensive line coach

    New York Giants (1979–1982)

    Offensive line coach

    New Jersey Generals (1983–1984)

    Offensive coordinator & offensive line coach

    New York Jets (1985)

    Offensive line coach

 

Career highlights and awards

 

    3× NFL Champion

    (player:1956, line coach: 1961, 1962)

    Pro Bowl (1954)

    Oregon Sports Hall of Fame (1982)