Bill C. Foster
Bill C. Foster (1936-2015)
Teams coached: Shorter Hawks, Charlotte 49ers, Clemson Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Virginia Tech Hokies
Shorter record^: 110-31 (.780)
Charlotte record: 88-38 (.698)
Clemson record: 156-106 (.595)
Miami record: 78-71 (.523)
Virginia Tech record: 101-78 (.564)
Overall record^: 533-324 (.622)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 (1980, 1996)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (1980)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 1 (1995)
- NIT Appearances: 4 (1979, 1981, 1982, 1995)
- Atlantic 10 Regular Season Champion: 1 (1996)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1991-1997 | Virginia Tech |
| 1985-1990 | Miami (FL) |
| 1975-1984 | Clemson |
| 1970-1975 | Charlotte |
| 1967-1970 | The Citadel (asst) |
| 1962-1967 | Shorter |
Bill C. Foster Facts
- William Carey Foster
- Born April 1, 1936
- Died May 27, 2015
- Hometown: Palatka, Florida / Hemingway, South Carolina
- Alma Mater: Carson-Newman College (BA, 1958) / University of Tennessee (MA, 1959)
- Played at both Wingate (NC) and Carson-Newman (TN), graduating from the latter in 1958
- First coaching job was at Marion HS (SC), where he led the boys’ basketball team from 1959-62
- Spent five years as the head coach at D-II Shorter University in Rome, GA, compiling an overall record of 110-31
- Was an assistant under Dick Campbell at the Citadel for three seasons, his only stint as an assistant coach
- Hired at UNC Charlotte in 1970, as the program was transitioning from the NAIA to the NCAA Division I level
- Went 88-38 in five seasons at Charlotte, including a 45-7 mark over his last two years there
- Moved on to Clemson in 1975, where he coached for the next nine seasons
- Compiled a 156-106 record overall, with three 20+ win seasons and three NIT appearances
- Led the Tigers to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1980, still the only such appearance for the program
- Left the school in 1984 to take on the challenge of rebuilding the program at Miami (FL)
- The Hurricanes had not played a men’s basketball game since 1971 when Foster arrived
- Program started back up in 1985, winning their first game and going 14-14 on the season
- Foster was 78-71 in five seasons (six years) at the helm, literally relaunching basketball at Miami
- Finished his coaching career at Virginia Tech, going 101-78 in six seasons as the Hokies’ head coach
- Led Va Tech to a NIT Championship crown in 1995 and into the NCAA Tournament a year later
- Retired from coaching in 1997, a decision that he announced before the 1996-97 season began
- Died in 2015 due to Parkinson’s disease; survived by his second wife, Linda, and their two daughters
Bill C. Foster Coaching Tree
- Tommy Gaither (Morehead State, Charleston Southern)
- Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech, South Florida, Long Beach State)
- Bobby Hussey (Virginia Tech)
- Dean Keener (James Madison)
- Eddie Payne (USC Upstate, Oregon State, East Carolina)
- Tree Rollins (Washington Mystics, Greenville Groove)
- Melvin Watkins (Missouri, Texas A&M, Charlotte)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and Division II levels