Dan Austin

Dan Austin, MSCC, is the assistant director of sport performance at the University of South Carolina. He has been at the university since 2002 and is currently working with the track and field and equestrian teams. Before joining University of South Carolina, he was the head strength coach at Oklahoma State University, Mississippi State University, University of Nevada–Las Vegas, Tennessee State University, and Austin Peay State University. While at Oklahoma State, he was voted the Big 12 Conference's Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year. Austin earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Newberry College and a master's degree from Austin Peay State University. He has been a strength and conditioning coach for more than 25 years. Austin is certified by USA Weightlifting, the International Sport Sciences Association, the National Association of Speed and Explosion, and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. He is also a level II specialist in sport conditioning. He is a master collegiate strength and conditioning coach (MSCC), which is the highest certification a strength coach can achieve. Austin has been powerlifting for over 35 years and was voted into the Powerlifting Hall of Fame in 2011. Throughout his career he has won 10 world powerlifting championships and 18 national championships while holding several world records in the deadlift and combined total weight. He was voted the greatest 148-pound powerlifter of all time and was the first lifter under 148 pounds to deadlift over 700 pounds.