Stephen Austin (American football)

Stephen Austin
Born Summit, New Jersey
Alma mater University of Cincinnati
Occupation Executive Producer, UnDrafted
Former Director, NFL Combine Properties Inc.
Founder, ELITE Football Services Inc.

Stephen Austin is a former NFL executive and founder of the NFL Regional Combines and NFL Super Regional Combine.[1]

Business career

Early career

Austin first worked as a sports agent in 1981, primarily representing players in the USFL. In 1983, at the behest of the USFL Gunslingers Head Coach, Gil Steinke, Austin conducted his first pro tryout for "street" free agents at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. After the USFL folded in 1984, Austin began representing several notable NFL players including Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowler, Wayne Haddix, and NY Jets punter Joe Prokop.[2] During this time Austin began evaluating his own clients in order to more accurately gauge their NFL potential. Other agents became aware of Austin's workout sessions and began sending their clients for evaluation.

ELITE Pro Football Combines

In 1989, Austin founded the ELITE Pro Football Combines, originally called Scout Camp. Its first combine was held at Mt. San Antonio College in Pomona, CA. ELITE was officially endorsed by the Canadian Football League, Arena Football League, XFL, NFL Europe, and the American Football Coaches Association. [3] [4] ELITE was the first combine to offer players and pro teams streaming internet video in 1996, followed by a multi-criteria searchable player database.[3] ELITE discovered notable NFL players such as Wayne Chrebet and Super Bowl champions Mike Flynn, Nick Harper, and Adam Vinatieri.[5]

National Athletic Testing System

In 2000, Austin created the National Athletic Testing System (NATS). NATS was a series of football evaluation camps for high school football players hoping to play college football. NATS camps were conducted by state high school football and athletic associations. The camps also included clinics to help participating players prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test.[6] In 2005, NATS received a 1.4 million dollar grant from the National Football League Youth Football Fund and the NFL Players Association. As an additional NATS service, Austin created the Core Course Calculator (CCC) which was the first such web-based software design to help student athletes keep track of their NCAA core course requirements. Austin served as NATS President from 2000 to 2008 and, alongside former Notre Dame University head football coach Tyrone Willingham, Vice-Chairman from 2005 to 2008.

National Football League

In 2010, Austin sold ELITE Pro Football Combines to the National Football League. Elite Football remains the first and only company ever purchased by the National Football League. Austin served as Director of NFL Regional Combines and the NFL Super Regional Combine from 2010 to 2014.[1][7] Between 1989 and 2014, Austin's Scout Camp, Elite and NFL Regional Combines have conducted over 300 pro football combines - the most in pro football history.

Entertainment career

From 2004 to 2006, Austin worked as a paid consultant to King World Productions where he assisted Vice President of Program Development, Mike Stornello, in the development of sports related broadcast content.

Currently, Austin is co-creator, producer and lead talent (season one) on the NFL Network hit show “UnDrafted,”. UnDrafted was nominated for an Emmy in its first season (2014). Now in its third year UnDrafted is the highest rated show in NFL Network history (excluding game broadcasts). Starting in 2017, the show will expand from thirty minutes to one hour.

Austin is also creator of the show, "UnStoppable", which follows the lives of five young high school football players from struggling families who have been overlooked by the big schools and have one last chance to earn an athletic scholarship and be the first in their family to attend college. UnStoppable is an Austin Media Group production now in development with Blu Pacific Studios. His other new show, "Champs", also an Austin Media Group production, is in development with Indigenous Films. [8] [9]

Pro Day USA

While Director of the NFL Regional and Super Regional Combines, Stephen designed a new method of measuring the standing broad jump, a common athletic test administered at football combines and tryouts. The device, known as the Jump Machine, also measures the long jump and triple jump for track and field. The Jump Machines are now manufactured and distributed by Stephen's company, Pro Day USA. Pro Day USA investors include, Tony Agnone (Michael Strahan's football agent) and Ken Landphere (former Director of Football for Octagon and current Assistant AD at Arizona State University).

References

  1. 1 2 Regional Combines
  2. ↑ Guest Stephen Austin NFL Director of Regional Combine
  3. 1 2 ELITE History
  4. ↑ AFCA Endorsement
  5. ↑ "NFL regional combines give fringe hopefuls last chance at pro football"
  6. ↑ AFCA Extra Point. March 2004
  7. ↑ "NFL buys out ELITE; will offer regional Combines"
  8. ↑ "Regional Combine Begins"
  9. ↑ UnDrafted (TV Series 2014– )
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