[1][2] Austin graduated from Lincoln Land Community College in 1971 with an Associate of Arts degree in political science and from Sangamon State University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.
[2][3] While on active duty he was deployed to Vietnam and earned eleven Air Medals.
[3][4][5][6] He was appointed major general in the Illinois National Guard and confirmed as a colonel in the United States Army Reserve.
[2] He served as chairman and chief executive officer of the Sangamon County Board from 1978–1986.
[2] In 1999, Austin received the Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois Springfield.