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The 1990s was a glorious decade for Purdue basketball. And Chad Austin played a big part in making that era special for Boilermaker fans.

He arrived in West Lafayette from Richmond (Ind.) High, having led the Red Devils to the 1991-92 state title as a junior by beating Lafayette Jeff in overtime. While at Purdue, Austin helped lead the program to Big Ten titles his freshman (1994-95) and sophomore (1995-96) seasons, part of "threepeat" that began in 1993-94 in Glenn Robinson's junior season.

Austin was famous for his toughness and big-shot making ability. Fans never will forget the game-winning shots Austin hit in back-to-back wins at Indiana in 1996 and 1997.

Austin's first dagger in Bloomington was a three-point bomb that came with 13.7 seconds left on February 25, 1996. The shot gave No. 8 Purdue a 74-72 win. His second game-winning shot in Assembly Hall was more drenched in drama, as Austin nailed a two-point shot with six-tenths of a second hanging on the clock to give Purdue an 89-87 victory on February 18, 1997.

Austin was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (1997, 1998) and a two-time team MVP (1997, 1998) while leading Purdue in scoring in 1996 (12.8) and 1997 (17.0). Austin made the NCAA tourney all four seasons at Purdue. His best team was his last in 1997-98, when the Boilermakers went 28-8 (12-4 Big Ten, third) and reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 2 seed before losing to Stanford.

Austin began the 2019-20 season No. 14 on the all-time Purdue scoring list, finishing his career with a 13.1-scoring average and 1,694 points from 1994-95 to 1997-98. Austin averaged 17.0 points each of his final two seasons.

Austin was carrying on the legacy of older brother Woody, who was the 1988 Indiana Mr. Basketball. Woody Austin played at Purdue from 1988-89 to 1991-92, scoring 1,076 points. He averaged 18.5 points as a senior.

After leaving Purdue, Chad Austin enjoyed a solid career overseas, playing across Europe. GoldandBlack.com caught up recently with Austin.

GoldandBlack.com: What are you doing now?

Austin: I am in Brooklyn, N.Y. I have been here going on 12 years. I am fire safety director for an office building. I have three kids. One just got out of college at Albany State in Georgia where she played volleyball. My son is 11 and my daughter is 3.

GoldandBlack.com: When were you last at Purdue?

Austin: I was last at Purdue a couple years ago. They had a reunion in the summer for some old players. Maybe four years ago, in 2016.

GoldandBlack.com: Who do you stay in touch with?

Austin: I stay in touch with Brad (Miller). Of course, Brandon (Brantley). I try to stay in touch as much as I can.

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GoldandBlack.com: How is Woody doing?

Austin: Woody is doing good. He is in Westfield/Carmel. He has his own Mr. Basketball camp where he coaches and trains kids.

GoldandBlack.com: Why did you choose Purdue?

Austin: I was familiar with it with my brother was going there. I knew what they were about, going to the practices. With my brother going to Purdue, I was kind of mentally ahead of my peers in high school because I would use all of the stuff my brother would bring home. I used all the information he was doing to my advantage. I saw how hard they worked.

GoldandBlack.com: What is your best Purdue memory?

Austin: I got two Big Ten titles. Just the camaraderie, the team atmosphere. We were truly a team. We enjoyed each other. We enjoyed practicing, the time being there.

GoldandBlack.com: What do you recall about your winning shots at Indiana?

Austin: It’s just what I do. I did the same thing in high school. I hit a big shot in the state title game to put it in overtime. You practice it. In the moment, you aren’t really thinking of the moment or how big the shot was. You go out there, prepare for it, you are trying to win the game. They make the pass, you hit the shot … that’s it. Thinking back on it, you realize how big it was. But in that moment, you are just playing basketball.

GoldandBlack.com: How often are you asked about the shots?

Austin: That is the question I am asked most. It’s just competition. You are just trying to win.

GoldandBlack.com: What do you remember about Coach Keady?

Austin: Coach Keady was hard-nosed, but when you get to know him, he was a great guy. He asked you to be on time, do what you were supposed to do and you had no problems with him. If you didn’t, then you would hear from him. But all in all, I enjoyed Coach Keady. I had a great relationship with him. I knew him for so long because my brother played for him and I got to know him then. It was easy to relate to him since I knew him for such a long period of time. I haven’t talked to him in a couple of years. He did a seminar here a few years ago and I got to go see him them. We talked. I try to stay in touch, but it is kind of hard.

GoldandBlack.com: What was it like to play in Mackey Arena?

Austin: It is a great arena to play in. Loved the atmosphere, the crowd, the energy, it was a great time.

GoldandBlack.com: Who wins a game of one-on-one between you and Woody?

Austin: He’s gonna say he would, I’ll say I would. Offensively, he could do it all. A great shooter. He could get his shot off, create. He was a great offensive player. He would tell me I was more of an all-around player, better defensively. He was better offensively than me but would tell me I was better overall.

GoldandBlack.com: What did you do after you left Purdue?

Austin: I played 10 years in Europe. I played for Magic Johnson’s team my second year in Europe. I played in the Euro League a couple years for Opel Skyliners in Frankfurt, Germany. I was all over, Sweden, Germany, Greece, Russia, Israel. I had a good 10-year career. I tried to sign one-year contracts because I wanted to see other parts of the world during that time.

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