He was one of only three Major League Baseball players to be born in Wales (the others being pitcher Ted Lewis and infielder Peter Morris).

That year, Austin became immortalized in the Charles M. Conlon photo as the third baseman trying to avoid Ty Cobb's spikes on a stolen base.

In 1913, when the Browns' player-manager George Stovall was suspended by the American League for spitting at an umpire, Austin was made manager on a temporary basis, until he was replaced by the legendary Branch Rickey.

After his coaching career ended, Austin retired and moved to Laguna Beach, California, and served as the town's mayor during the 1940s.

[1] Austin was one of the ballplayers who told his story in Lawrence Ritter's classic 1966 book, The Glory of Their Times, from which much of the information in this article came.