Austin Starr was once again in front of a grateful crowd of Indiana University sports fans on Wednesday.
The former standout place kicker for the Hoosiers was back in his hometown for the IU Alumni Association Sabatini-Jewell golf outing at Dykeman Park Golf Course. He was a featured speaker afterwards at a dinner held at the Elks Lodge.
The 2008 IU grad had bittersweet news for his local IU fans: He’s hanging up his cleats and going to dental school.
“It was the best situation for me to go to dental school,” Starr said. “I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride with the NFL. If I would continue to pursue the NFL, I would say and I’ve been told by many NFL special team’s coaches, that I would eventually make it. But it’s such a lottery and there are many factors, and I would lose my acceptance to dental school if I wouldn’t go July 8th. And to get back into dental school I think would be more difficult.
“So it was just the easier decision for me right now in my life. And of course it’s tough. You never want to give up a chance at the NFL, but sometimes in life it’s not about what you want to do but what you need to do.”
IU fans will never forget the game-winning 49-yard field goal Starr made with 30 seconds left against Purdue on Nov. 17, 2007 that lifted the Hoosiers to their first bowl game in 14 years and fulfilled the prophecy of late coach Terry Hoeppner, who died earlier that year of cancer.
“I enjoyed that season because it meant so much for coach Hoeppner and that family,” Starr said. “I still talk to Jane Hoeppner a lot. And so much was on the line and the fact that we all as a team were able to go to a bowl game — it had been a long time — it’s something that’s really special.”
Starr took part in a rookie mini-camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year. But with only 32 NFL teams — most carrying just one kicker — and the longevity that many kickers have in the NFL made it difficult to get on a roster.
“They call it the kicking carousel, you just keep going around hoping you get lucky,” Starr said. “And I would say a lot of it is truly luck.
“If I didn’t have dental school, I’d continue to try for the NFL. But I’d continue to lose money.”
Starr said he enjoyed the golf outing, which raised money for IU.
“I was fortunate for the opportunity to be asked to come up here. And I just picked up golf last year, but I definitely had a lot of fun with the guys I played with,” he said. “It’s great to be around IU alumni and people who really respect and love being a Hoosier.”
Starr, a 2004 Logan grad, credited his high school football coaches Lee Gaumer and Elmer Britton. He said Gaumer got him on the team and made him a starter his sophomore year. Later Britton helped advance his career and helped get him on the North All-Star team, which led to him going to IU.
“Even there a lot of things had to happen just to be on the IU team,” Starr said. “I’m fortunate to have the accomplishments that I had and made the best of the opportunities.”
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