Charles Allphin Austin (June 3, 1892 – March 15, 1980) was an American rugby union player,

official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...

, and

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who played center for the United States men's national team in its first two capped matches in 1912 and 1913. Austin also served as coach of the United States team that won the gold medal at the

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in Paris.

Biography

Charles Austin was born on June 3, 1892, in Bellingham, Washington, the son of William Charles Austin. Austin attended Berkeley High School, where he played for the school's rugby team and was named to a regional all-star team following the 1911 season. By 1912, he had joined the

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and played in the team's match against

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during their 1912 tour of the United States and Canada. On November 16, 1912, Austin played for the United States at center in its first capped match—a 12–8 loss to Australia. In 1913, Austin began attending

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, where he and Daniel Carroll were among the members of the freshman class that played for the university's rugby team. While with the Stanford team, he competed against New Zealand during their 1913 tour of the United States and Canada. On November 15, 1913, Austin returned to the United States team and played again at center in its first test match against New Zealand—a 51–3 defeat. In 1916, Austin became the coach of the rugby team at

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

. It was originally announced that he would return to coach the team for the 1917 season, but he did not. Also during the 1916 rugby season, Austin served as

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for the California high school state championship game. In 1924, Austin coached the United States national team at the Summer Olympics in Paris— a competition in which the Americans won the gold medal for a second consecutive Games. On March 15, 1980, Charles Austin died in

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at the age of 87."California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VGB4-4X6 : November 26, 2014), Charles Allphin Austin, Mar 15, 1980; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Charles 1892 births 1980 deaths United States international rugby union players Rugby union centres Rugby union coaches Rugby union officials Sportspeople from Bellingham, Washington Rugby union players from Washington (state)