Steve Williams (born December 18, 1964) best known by his stage name Stone Cold Steve Austin, is a professional wrestler from Victoria, Texas. His birth name was Steven James Anderson; he received the surname Williams when he was adopted by his stepfather (his biological father had left the family when he was a small child). He went on to play football at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), and began his wrestling career in the late 1980s in Texas. He took the ring name Steve Austin because there was already a prominent wrestler with the ring name (and real name) Steve Williams.