Southwestern head coach Joe Austin announced his retirement in a post on X/Twitter that surprised many. Austin arrived in Georgetown in 2012 to resurrect the program and led the Pirates to a 36-68 overall record and a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship in 2016.
Austin told Dave Campbell’s Texas Football that his retirement is not effective immediately. He will work with the coaching staff and athletic director to provide the best transition possible for the program. However, Austin expects to exit before Fall training camp begins and will not be leading the Southwestern program during the 2024 campaign.
“After twenty-five years of treasured relationships and memorable moments, I am retiring from college football,” he wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “For the first time in my adult life, I am putting the needs of my aging parents ahead of the needs of administrators, the needs of the wife ahead of the needs of the coaching staff, and the needs of my daughter ahead of the needs of other people’s children. This was a prayer decision that I am very comfortable with.
“Words cannot express the gratitude I have for all of the coaches and players that have shared this special period of my life with me. God bless you all!”
The 2016 campaign was historic for Austin and the program. In their fourth season since 1950, the Pirates finished 7-3 overall and 6-0 in conference play, earning the program’s first football championship since 1941.
The Des Moines, Iowa native finishes with a 53-90 overall record as a head coach, including a 17-22 mark at Hanover from 2008-2011. He led Hanover to a 7-3 record in his third season and finished second in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in his final two seasons.
The Pirates have produced two All-Americans and six conference Player of the Year awards. Austin’s contributions extend beyond the field. He penned The Tex-Bone: Triple Option for the 21st Century in 2020. The textbook and video series were the precursors to his second book, Drills for the Triple Option, in 2021.
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