Kathryn Burrhus knew Stone Cold Steve Austin long before millions of wrestling fans heard breaking glass and shouted “Austin 3:16.” She was his high-school sweetheart in the small Texas town of Edna, stayed with him through college and the uncertain beginning of his wrestling career, and became his first wife in 1990. Their marriage ended less than two years later, before Austin became one of WWE’s biggest stars. While his life eventually became highly public, Kathryn chose a completely different path and has remained almost entirely outside the spotlight.
Kathryn Burrhus Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kathryn Burrhus |
| Often Called | Kathy Burrhus |
| Known For | First wife of Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth Date | Not reliably confirmed |
| Age in 2026 | Not reliably confirmed |
| High School | Edna High School, Texas |
| College | Southwest Texas University, according to Austin’s memoir |
| Former Husband | Steve Austin |
| Relationship | High-school sweethearts |
| Marriage Date | November 24, 1990 |
| Marriage Ended | August 7, 1992 |
| Type of Ending | Annulment |
| Children With Austin | No publicly documented children |
| Current Profession | Not reliably documented |
| Current Residence | Private |
| Net Worth | Not publicly verified |
The most dependable information about Kathryn comes from Austin’s own account of their early relationship. People, citing his memoir The Stone Cold Truth, reports that he met Kathryn while he was a freshman at Edna High School and she was a junior.
Who Is Kathryn Burrhus?
Kathryn Burrhus is best known as the first wife of professional wrestling legend Steve Austin.
But describing her only as his ex-wife misses the most interesting part of the story.
Kathryn knew Austin before the fame.
Before WWE.
Before “Stone Cold.”
Before the championship belts.
And even before he was professionally known as Steve Austin.
During their early relationship, he was still Steve Williams, a Texas teenager interested in sports and trying to figure out his future.
Their romance began during high school and lasted through major changes in both of their lives.
By the time they married in 1990, they had reportedly been together for around a decade.
That makes Kathryn one of the few people connected with Austin who knew him well before professional wrestling completely changed his life.
How Did Kathryn Burrhus Meet Steve Austin?
Their story began at Edna High School in Texas.
Austin later wrote that he was a freshman when he noticed Kathryn, who was two grades ahead of him as a junior.
He immediately liked her.
There was only one problem.
Austin did not believe an older girl would be interested in a freshman.
According to his memoir, he discovered that Kathryn played tennis.
When an opportunity came for Austin and a friend to spend time around the tennis program, he took it.
That allowed him to meet her properly.
The plan worked.
They started talking and eventually began dating.
It is a surprisingly ordinary beginning for a relationship connected with someone who later became one of the loudest and most recognizable stars in wrestling history.
Kathryn Was Two Years Ahead of Austin in School
One detail helps explain why several supposed online biographies about Kathryn are unreliable.
Austin was born in December 1964.
According to his own memoir, Kathryn was a junior when he was a freshman.
That means they were relatively close in age.
Yet some celebrity biography websites claim Kathryn was born in 1952.
That would make her roughly 12 years older than Austin, which clearly conflicts with the well-documented story that she was only two school grades ahead of him.
For that reason, claims that Kathryn was born in 1952 or that she is in her seventies should not be presented as established facts.
Her exact birth date remains private.
Where Did Kathryn Burrhus Go to College?
According to Austin’s memoir, Kathryn attended Southwest Texas University.
The school is now known as Texas State University.
Austin’s own education followed a different path.
He initially attended Wharton County Junior College on a football scholarship.
He later received another opportunity to play football at North Texas.
Despite attending different schools during part of this period, Kathryn and Austin remained together.
Their relationship therefore survived well beyond the typical high-school romance.
It continued while both were moving into adulthood.
Steve Austin Was a Football Player Before Wrestling
Before professional wrestling entered the picture, football seemed like a possible future for Austin.
He played at Wharton County Junior College before moving on to North Texas.
Eventually, football did not become his long-term profession.
Austin left college and worked ordinary jobs before discovering professional wrestling.
He later trained in Texas and began wrestling in smaller promotions.
That decision would eventually make him rich and famous.
At the time, however, there was no guarantee that wrestling would work out at all.
Kathryn knew him during this uncertain period.
Kathryn and Austin Lived Together Before Marriage
Austin’s account indicates that he and Kathryn continued their relationship into his college years and eventually lived together.
The couple had already spent years together before deciding to marry.
People summarizes Austin’s memoir by saying the relationship was good for roughly a decade before wrestling became a major problem between them.
That timeline is important.
Their marriage itself lasted less than two years.
But the relationship did not.
Kathryn was part of Austin’s life for much longer than the short marriage dates might suggest.
When Did Kathryn Burrhus Marry Steve Austin?
Kathryn Burrhus and Steve Austin married on November 24, 1990.
At that point, Austin was still at the beginning of his professional wrestling journey.
He was nowhere close to becoming the global star fans remember today.
The famous bald head had not arrived.
Neither had Austin 3:16.
Neither had the legendary rivalry with Vince McMahon.
He had not won WWE championships.
In fact, the biggest years of his career were still far in the future.
Kathryn therefore married a struggling young wrestler rather than a millionaire celebrity.
Was Steve Austin Already Famous When He Married Kathryn?
No.
This is one of the biggest differences between Kathryn and Austin’s later wives.
When the pair married in 1990, Austin was only beginning to establish himself professionally.
He initially wrestled under his real-life surname, Williams.
Because there was already a well-known wrestler named “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, he eventually needed another wrestling name.
Promoter Dutch Mantell is widely credited with suggesting “Steve Austin.”
The new surname stuck.
But even then, he was still years away from becoming Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Kathryn’s marriage therefore belongs to the earliest chapter of his wrestling career.
Kathryn Was Not a Wrestling Fan
This may have become one of the biggest differences between them.
Austin later wrote that Kathryn was not a wrestling fan.
He remembered their relationship as good for many years, but said his growing obsession with wrestling became the beginning of the end.
That makes sense when considering how demanding wrestling can be.
Professional wrestlers spend enormous amounts of time traveling.
They work nights.
They spend weekends away from home.
In Austin’s era, performers could be on the road for hundreds of days each year.
For a relationship built before wrestling became central to his identity, that change could be enormous.
Wrestling Changed Steve Austin’s Life Quickly
Austin became increasingly serious about wrestling.
He eventually worked for World Class Championship Wrestling and later moved through other promotions.
His opportunities improved.
So did the amount of time and energy the job demanded.
Then came World Championship Wrestling, better known as WCW.
Austin joined WCW in 1991 and performed as “Stunning” Steve Austin.
That period represented a major professional step forward.
But at almost exactly the same time, his marriage to Kathryn was falling apart.
Who Was Jeannie Clarke?
Jeannie Clarke was an English wrestling personality better known to fans as Lady Blossom.
She had previously been connected with wrestler Chris Adams, one of the people who helped Austin during his early wrestling career.
Austin and Clarke worked together professionally.
Over time, their relationship became romantic.
Established biographies of Austin state that he began pursuing a relationship with Clarke while still married to Kathryn.
That relationship played a major role in the end of Austin’s first marriage.
Why Did Kathryn Burrhus and Steve Austin Separate?
There was probably no single cause.
Austin himself described wrestling as a major source of the growing distance between them.
Kathryn had known him before professional wrestling became his obsession.
As his career grew, their lives moved in different directions.
At the same time, Austin developed a relationship with Jeannie Clarke.
The combination brought the marriage to an end.
Because Kathryn has never given a widely known detailed public interview about the breakup, most of the public version comes from Austin’s own later account.
That distinction matters.
We know his perspective much better than hers.
When Did Kathryn Burrhus and Steve Austin Divorce?
Technically, their marriage was annulled, rather than ending through a conventional divorce.
The annulment became final on August 7, 1992.
Austin was reportedly in Japan for wrestling work at the time.
Their marriage had lasted about one year and eight months.
But again, the relationship itself had lasted much longer.
They had known each other and dated since their teenage school years.
Did Kathryn Burrhus and Steve Austin Have Children?
There are no publicly documented children from Kathryn and Austin’s relationship.
Austin later became a father through his relationship with Jeannie Clarke.
He and Clarke had two daughters together and Austin also adopted Clarke’s daughter from an earlier relationship.
Because those children arrived around the period when Austin’s first marriage was ending, poorly researched websites can sometimes create confusing family timelines.
Kathryn should not automatically be described as the mother of any of Austin’s children.
There is no reliable evidence that she and Austin had children together.
Steve Austin Married Jeannie Clarke Months Later
Austin’s first marriage ended in August 1992.
He married Jeannie Clarke on December 18, 1992, only a few months later.
The date was also Austin’s 28th birthday.
Clarke became important not only in Austin’s personal life but also in the creation of his wrestling identity.
She is widely credited with helping inspire the phrase “Stone Cold.”
Austin later explained that while he was trying to create a colder and more dangerous wrestling character, Clarke told him to drink his tea before it became “stone cold.”
The phrase stuck.
Years later, it would become one of wrestling’s most valuable names.
Kathryn Was Gone Before “Stone Cold” Existed
This point helps put Kathryn’s story in perspective.
She was not married to Stone Cold Steve Austin during the famous Attitude Era.
Their marriage ended in 1992.
The character that made Austin one of the biggest wrestling stars ever developed years afterward.
The famous Austin 3:16 moment happened in 1996.
His battles with Vince McMahon exploded in popularity after that.
His WrestleMania main events came later.
The beer celebrations came later.
The black vest came later.
The championship runs came later.
Kathryn knew the person behind the future character—but she was no longer part of his public life when the world-famous version appeared.
Did Kathryn Burrhus Help Create the Stone Cold Name?
No.
This is another detail that can easily become confused.
Kathryn was Austin’s first wife.
Jeannie Clarke was his second wife.
It was Jeannie, not Kathryn, who Austin credited with helping inspire the “Stone Cold” name.
By the time that name became part of Austin’s wrestling career, his relationship with Kathryn had already ended.
So articles saying Kathryn created the Stone Cold nickname are incorrect.
Was Kathryn Burrhus a Wrestler?
There is no good evidence that Kathryn Burrhus was a professional wrestler.
A few websites describe her as a wrestler or actress.
Those claims appear to result from confusion with Austin’s later wives.
Jeannie Clarke worked as a wrestling manager and performer.
Debra Marshall also worked in professional wrestling.
Kathryn did not have a similarly documented wrestling career.
The strongest sources describe her simply as Austin’s high-school sweetheart and first wife.
That is the accurate description.
Was Kathryn Burrhus an Actress?
There is also no established professional acting career linked to Kathryn.
No strong filmography exists.
No major studio biography identifies her as an actress.
No established entertainment profile documents years of acting work.
Calling her an actress simply because she married someone who later appeared in movies would be misleading.
Kathryn appears to have remained a private individual.
What Happened to Kathryn Burrhus After the Annulment?
This is where reliable information becomes extremely limited.
Kathryn did not follow Austin into celebrity life.
She did not become a WWE personality.
She did not publish a famous memoir.
She did not appear in major documentaries explaining their marriage.
And she has not regularly spoken to entertainment media about her former husband.
As a result, almost everything about her adult life after 1992 remains private.
That includes her career.
Her current relationship status.
Her exact home.
And much of her family life.
Sometimes a lack of information is not a mystery that needs solving.
It simply means a private person stayed private.
Did Kathryn Burrhus Remarry?
There is no strong public source clearly confirming whether Kathryn later remarried.
Some websites confidently call her single.
Others claim she started another relationship.
Neither conclusion has enough reliable evidence behind it.
Her romantic life after Steve Austin is her own.
Unless Kathryn publicly discusses it or a dependable source establishes another marriage, there is no reason to guess.
Where Is Kathryn Burrhus Now?
Kathryn’s current residence is not reliably documented.
Numerous websites say she lives somewhere in the United States, but that tells us very little.
Others attach specific states or cities without showing dependable evidence.
There is no recent mainstream interview confirming where Kathryn lives in 2026.
That is not surprising.
She has had more than three decades to build a life completely separate from Austin’s wrestling fame.
A factual biography should respect that separation.
How Old Is Kathryn Burrhus?
Kathryn’s exact age is one of the most frequently mishandled details online.
Some sites say she was born on August 29, 1952.
That claim conflicts badly with Austin’s own account.
Austin, born in 1964, said he met Kathryn when he was a high-school freshman and she was a junior.
A woman born in 1952 would have been around 12 years older than Austin, not two school grades ahead.
That makes the 1952 claim highly doubtful.
The sensible answer is:
Kathryn Burrhus’s exact birth date and age are not reliably documented publicly.
What Is Kathryn Burrhus’s Net Worth?
There is no reliable public estimate of Kathryn Burrhus’s personal net worth.
Some celebrity websites publish exact numbers.
But the problem is obvious.
Kathryn’s current job is unknown.
Her property ownership is unknown.
Her investment history is unknown.
Her savings and debts are unknown.
Without those facts, calculating her net worth is impossible.
Steve Austin’s later success also does not provide an answer.
Their marriage ended before his biggest years of fame.
His modern wealth should not simply be assigned to someone he stopped being married to in 1992.
Did Kathryn Receive Money From Steve Austin?
There is no reliable public information detailing the financial terms connected with the 1992 annulment.
Any exact amount found on a celebrity biography website should therefore be treated with caution.
Austin was also far from the multimillion-dollar wrestling superstar he would later become.
When their marriage ended, he was still building his career.
There is no strong basis for claiming Kathryn received a giant celebrity settlement.
Did Kathryn Burrhus Ever Speak About Steve Austin’s Fame?
There is no widely documented major interview in which Kathryn discusses watching Austin become one of wrestling’s biggest stars.
That silence is interesting.
Imagine knowing someone as a teenager.
Dating him for years.
Marrying him while he is struggling to establish himself.
Then separating.
Only a few years later, his face appears on television screens and merchandise around the world.
Kathryn experienced that unusual situation.
But she appears to have chosen not to publicly build a career from telling the story.
Steve Austin Was Married Four Times
Kathryn was the first of Austin’s four wives.
After Kathryn came:
Jeannie Clarke, whom Austin married in 1992.
Debra Marshall, whom he married in 2000.
Kristin Austin, whom he married in 2009.
People’s 2025 profile of Austin’s marriages continues to identify Kathryn as the high-school sweetheart who came before his wrestling fame.
His current marriage to Kristin has lasted far longer than his earlier marriages.
As of 2026, Austin and Kristin have been married for more than 16 years.
Why Are People Still Searching for Kathryn Burrhus?
The reason is Steve Austin’s lasting popularity.
He is not simply a retired wrestler.
He is one of the most important figures in WWE history.
New wrestling fans continue discovering his matches.
Older fans continue watching documentaries and interviews.
Whenever people study Austin’s life before fame, Kathryn’s name appears.
Then curiosity starts.
Who was Steve Austin’s first wife?
What happened to Kathryn Burrhus?
Did they have children?
How old is she?
Where is she today?
Unfortunately, the internet often answers those questions with guesses.
The real story contains fewer details, but those details are more trustworthy.
Kathryn Burrhus Represents Steve Austin’s Pre-Fame Life
Kathryn’s place in Austin’s story is unique.
Jeannie Clarke knew him as wrestling became his career.
Debra Marshall knew him when he was already a major star.
Kristin became his wife long after the height of the Attitude Era.
Kathryn knew him before all of that.
She knew the high-school student.
The football player.
The college student.
And the young man taking his first uncertain steps into professional wrestling.
That makes her part of Austin’s history even though she never became part of Stone Cold’s celebrity world.
Interesting Facts About Kathryn Burrhus
Kathryn was Steve Austin’s high-school sweetheart.
Austin met her at Edna High School when he was a freshman and she was a junior.
He later said playing tennis helped him get the opportunity to meet her.
Kathryn attended Southwest Texas University, according to Austin’s memoir.
The couple remained together through Austin’s college years.
They married on November 24, 1990.
Their marriage was annulled on August 7, 1992.
They had no publicly documented children together.
Kathryn was not the woman who inspired Austin’s “Stone Cold” nickname; that was Jeannie Clarke.
There is no reliable evidence that Kathryn was a professional wrestler or actress.
Her exact birthday, current profession, residence, relationship status and net worth remain private.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Kathryn Burrhus?
Kathryn Burrhus is best known as Stone Cold Steve Austin’s high-school sweetheart and first wife.
How did Kathryn Burrhus meet Steve Austin?
Austin said they met at Edna High School in Texas. He was a freshman and Kathryn was a junior. He spent time around the tennis courts because she played tennis, which gave him a chance to meet her.
When did Kathryn Burrhus marry Steve Austin?
Kathryn and Austin married on November 24, 1990.
When did Kathryn Burrhus and Steve Austin separate?
Their marriage was annulled on August 7, 1992.
Why did Kathryn Burrhus and Steve Austin split?
Austin later said his growing obsession with professional wrestling created problems in their relationship. He also developed a romantic relationship with wrestling personality Jeannie Clarke before his marriage to Kathryn ended.
Did Kathryn Burrhus and Steve Austin have children?
There are no publicly documented children from their marriage.
How old is Kathryn Burrhus?
Her exact age is not reliably confirmed. Online claims that she was born in 1952 conflict with Austin’s documented account that she was only two school grades ahead of him.
Was Kathryn Burrhus a wrestler?
There is no reliable evidence that Kathryn had a professional wrestling career.
Was Kathryn Burrhus an actress?
No established acting career is publicly documented for her.
Did Kathryn Burrhus create the Stone Cold name?
No. Steve Austin credited his second wife, Jeannie Clarke, with inspiring the “Stone Cold” nickname.
Is Kathryn Burrhus still married to Steve Austin?
No. Their marriage ended in 1992.
Did Kathryn Burrhus remarry?
Her relationship history after Steve Austin is not reliably documented publicly.
Where is Kathryn Burrhus now?
Her current home and everyday life remain private.
What does Kathryn Burrhus do for a living?
There is no dependable current public information establishing her profession.
What is Kathryn Burrhus’s net worth?
Her personal net worth has never been reliably verified.
Final Thoughts
Kathryn Burrhus belongs to a part of Steve Austin’s life that existed before the world knew Stone Cold.
She met him when they were teenagers at Edna High School.
He was a freshman.
She was a junior.
A young Steve Austin used tennis as a way to get closer to the girl he liked, and what began as a school romance continued through college and into adulthood.
They eventually married in November 1990.
But Austin’s growing commitment to professional wrestling changed the relationship.
His career required travel, risk and total attention.
Kathryn was not a wrestling fan, and Austin later said wrestling became the beginning of the end for them.
His developing relationship with Jeannie Clarke also became part of that final chapter.
The marriage was annulled in August 1992.
Only a few years later, Austin transformed into Stone Cold Steve Austin and became one of the biggest wrestling stars of all time.
Kathryn did not follow him into that fame.
She did not become a wrestling personality.
She did not spend decades giving interviews about him.
Instead, she disappeared almost completely from public view.
That privacy is exactly why so many unreliable claims now surround her name.
Her exact birthday is not known.
Her current career is not known.
Her net worth is not known.
And her present relationship status is not known.
Those gaps do not need to be filled with invented facts.
The documented story is interesting enough.
Kathryn Burrhus was Steve Austin’s first love and first wife—the woman who knew him when he was still a Texas teenager with no idea that “Stone Cold” would someday become one of the most famous names in wrestling history.
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