Bill “Missile” Austin is Missing
Bill “Missile” Austin earned his nickname for his headfirst approach to the hoops at Live Oak Park, and to everything else he undertook, including sailing by Paul Teetor When Bill Austin first showed up at the Live Oak Park 3-on-3 basketball games 20 years ago, one of the regulars noticed his positive, fast-forward energy, and quickly gave him a nickname: Missile. It stuck because Austin never stopped moving, and had an angular, head-first way of heading to the hoop, with or without the ball. If he was coming your way, you better be ready for an explosion of energy, for a guided missile attack. There are several criteria for a good sports nickname: does it fit? Does it capture something truly unique about the player? Does it stick? Does everyone just naturally start using it? And, most important of all, does the player embrace the nickname? Austin’s nickname checked every single box – especially the last one, the most important one. Indeed, Austin reveled in his new nickname, even introducing himself as Missile when new players would show up. Bill Austin with his daughters Shailyn and Mackenzie. Some regulars never even knew his real name. He was just Missile, the man of perpetual…
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