Bill Foster, 79, who guided Clemson to the Elite Eight of the 1980 NCAA Tournament in the school\u2019s first NCAA invitation, passed away on Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C. after a long battle with Parkinson\u2019s Disease.
\nThe native of Hemingway, S.C. is the only coach to serve as the head coach of three current Atlantic Coast Conference institutions (Clemson, Miami and Virginia Tech) and is one of the few coaches in NCAA history to have multiple 20-win seasons at four different schools.
\nBorn on April 1, 1936, Foster was a head coach at the college level for 30 years at five institutions, and compiled a record of 532-325. \u00a0He had 21 winning seasons and 11 seasons with at least 20 victories. \u00a0He coached Clemson and Virginia Tech to the NCAA Tournament and had a 4-2 record in NCAA Tournament games for his career.
\nA noted program builder, he started the basketball program at the Division I level at Charlotte and restarted the University of Miami program after a 15-year absence in 1985.
\nHe was also known for his ability to take big men, many of whom were lightly recruited, and make them into star players. \u00a0\u00a0His coaching helped turn Cornbread Maxwell (UNC Charlotte), Tree Rollins, Larry Nance and Horace Grant (Clemson) and Ace Custis (Virginia Tech) into players with long professional careers. \u00a0Maxwell, Rollins, Nance and Grant were all NBA first-round draft choices.
\nFoster actually began his coaching career while he was a senior at Carson Newman College in Tennessee. \u00a0In his final year as a cum laude student, he coached the Carson Newman freshman team to a 19-1 record. Foster became the head coach at Marion (S.C.) High School in 1959 and led that program to a 42-21 record in three years.
\nFrom Marion High, Foster became head basketball coach and Director of Athletics at Shorter College in Rome, Ga. \u00a0He coached the NAIA program to a 110-31 record in five years, and won at least 22 games each of his last four seasons. He earned berths in the district playoffs each of his last three years. \u00a0\u00a0Foster was named Georgia Intercollegiate Coach of the Year in 1965 and 1966, was the Area NAIA Coach of the Year in 1965, and was one of five finalists for national NAIA Coach of the Year in 1965.
\nAfter five seasons at Shorter, he took a post as assistant coach at The Citadel in 1967 and remained with the Charleston, S.C. based military school for two seasons.
\nFollowing his tenure at The Citadel, Foster took on the challenge of bringing the UNC Charlotte program to the Division I level. \u00a0In just five years under Foster\u2019s guidance, Charlotte (the school\u2019s name today) had an 87-39 record, including a 46-7 record over the last two seasons. \u00a0He also held the post of Director of Athletics for his final two years.
\nFoster became the head coach at Clemson in April of 1975 and he held the position until the end of the 1983-84 season. Despite inheriting a program on a three-year probation, he registered a record of 156-106. \u00a0The 156 victories still rank second in Clemson history.
\nIn the six years Clemson was eligible, he took the Tigers to postseason play four times, three NITs and one NCAA. \u00a0He still holds the Clemson record for wins over Top 20 teams in a career with 16 and in a season with six (1979-80).
\nIn his fourth year, the first year he could take a Clemson team to postseason play, the Tigers were selected for the NIT. \u00a0In a game that would have been an NCAA Tournament matchup by today\u2019s standards, Clemson upset a 19-win Kentucky team in Rupp Arena in front of a then NIT record crowd of over 23,522 people.
\nIn 1979-80, Foster guided Clemson to its first NCAA Tournament appearance and the Tigers became one of the Cinderella Teams that year. \u00a0\u00a0During the regular season Clemson defeated five top 20 teams, including No. 1 ranked Duke, the school\u2019s first win over the top ranked team. \u00a0A still record crowd of 13,863 watched that win over Duke in Littlejohn Coliseum.
\nThe Tigers defeated Utah State, Brigham Young (12th ranked led by Danny Ainge) and Lamar to reach the Elite Eight of the 1980 NCAA Tournament before losing to UCLA in the West Regional final in Arizona. \u00a0It is still the only season Clemson has reached the Elite Eight.
\nFoster left Clemson in 1984 to restart the University of Miami (Florida) basketball program. \u00a0He spent the 1984-85 season developing the program. \u00a0The Hurricanes began competition in 1985-86. Foster posted a 78-71 record with Miami (FL), including a 19-win season in 1988-89. The victory total included an 87-86 victory over defending NCAA Champion Kansas.
\nFoster spent the 199-91 season in broadcasting, but his desire to return to the sidelines and help build the careers of young men brought him out of retirement and to the head coaching position at Virginia Tech.
\nIn the six seasons between 1991-97, Foster led the Hokies to a 101-78 record. \u00a0During that time Foster coached Virginia Tech to a 25-10 record in 1994-95 and the school won the NIT for just the second time in history. \u00a0The 25 wins are still tied for the most in school history.
\nThe following year, Foster coached the Hokies to a 23-6 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual National Champion Kentucky. \u00a0That team\u2019s .791 winning percentage is still the best by any Virginia Tech team since 1973.
\nOn New Year\u2019s Eve 1995, Foster gained his 500th career victory, a triumph over Wright State in a game played in New Orleans.
\nFoster retired after the 1996-97 season. In his retirement years he was honored by many institutions. \u00a0In 2001, he was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame. \u00a0In 2005 he received the Bobby Roberts Award from the Augusta Sports Council for his lifetime contributions to basketball. \u00a0In 2007 he was inducted into the Shorter College Hall of Fame.
\nFoster was a 1958 graduate of Carson Newman. He earned a Masters degree from the University of Tennessee in 1961.
\nHe is survived by his wife Linda, daughters Leslie and Laura and many grandchildren.<\/p>\n