Photo by Brian Hoffman
One long-time Knight will be conspicuous by his absence this season as Steve Austin has retired from doing James River football statistics after over 35 years on the sidelines.
“There really is no replacing him,” said River football coach and former athletic director Tim Jennings. “It will be by committee because you don’t find too many people who are willing to dedicate themselves to the school and program the way Steve did. He did it for almost 40 years, has easily watched more James River football, and most other sports at River, than anyone probably has in the history of the school.”
Austin started doing stats for the River team in the late ’80s and has been a fixture ever since. He started when Doug Ross was the coach and served the team through five different head coaches, including Toby Peer, Philip King, Jacob Phillips and current coach Jennings. Steve was admired for his accuracy and inclusiveness when keeping the River stats.
“I know he made my job easy,” said Fincastle Herald Sports Editor Brian Hoffman. “Every week Steve sent me comprehensive statistics, not only who ran or passed for the most yards but who made the most tackles, which team had the ball the most minutes, who scored the touchdowns and what the time was on the clock and other notes like fumble recoveries and blocked kicks and the like. His stats were incredibly helpful in writing the weekly football story and I’m really going to miss him. He’ll be hard to replace.”
Austin cited health reasons for stepping aside.
“It has just worn me down,” said Austin. “The only way I know how to keep stats is ‘on the sidelines.’ Running up and down the sidelines at my age, on bad knees, has just taken a toll.”
Austin figures he’s kept stats for well over 350 James River football games, both home and away. He realizes he’s going to miss being in the middle of the action.
“I feel really lost, honestly, because it’s been my life on Friday nights in the fall since (daughter) Kasey was a toddler and (younger daughter) Shannon was born in 1988. I know so many officials and coaches, and people at other schools, that I’m sure I’ll be going through withdrawal pains. From late August through early November, since the late ’80s, I have only been home on ‘bye’ Friday nights.”
One of the highlights of Steve’s time on the sidelines was when he got to keep stats for his son-in-law. The aforementioned toddler grew up to be a woman – and daughter Kasey is married to Jake Phillips, who coached the Knights’ football team from 2015 to 2018.
“One of the most bizarre things that happened to me over the decades was keeping stats for my son-in-law,” said Austin. “I think he was two or three years old when I started doing this. What an unlikely happening!”
Austin, not to be confused with wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, is also the softball coach at James River. Athletic Director Ryan Firebaugh has been an assistant coach on the softball staff and a good friend of Steve’s. Firebaugh also played football for the Knights and was an assistant coach during Austin’s tenure as stat man.
“Steve has done a monumental job at stats for the football program all these years,” said Firebaugh. “He has the stats down to a ‘T.’ He can remember stats from the first time he started doing them and even before that!
“Steve did my stats when I played here and he was doing it while I was coaching basketball and softball with him for 11 years. He also does announcing for the girls and boys basketball games. He’s a jack of all trades. He would also tell me stories while we were coaching together about how he would break down the stats on a Saturday afternoon or night while watching the Hokies play. Every stat is precise. Steve Austin is the definition of a Distinguished Knight and bleeds Red and Black for this high school.”
Austin said he’s going to keep coaching the Knights softball team as long as he feels comfortable doing so. He’s had great success with the team, taking them to the state championship game in 2023.
“I’m taking softball one year at a time, but I plan to return,” said Austin. “I don’t want to get to the point where, instead of people asking me ‘Are you going to retire,’ they start asking me, ‘When are you going to retire?’”
