[1][2][3] Born in San Pedro, California, Austin was raised in Oregon and graduated from Woodburn High School, south of Portland.

He was inducted into the OSU Athletics Hall of Fame and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

[6] 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,[7] stationed in San Francisco and Tokyo.

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.