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COACH I NG H I GHL I GHTS
•
Respected as one of the nation’s top coaching minds
and one of college football’s most decorated defensive
coordinators, enters his 31st season at Virginia Tech.
• Elevated to the post of associate head coach by current
Tech head coach Justin Fuente after enjoying a historic
29-season run under Frank Beamer that began in 1987.
Interestingly, both Fuente and Foster played at Murray
State more than a decade apart.
• Architect of Tech’s famed “Lunch Pail Defense,” Foster
is the longest continually tenured FBS assistant coach at
the same school, holding that position with the Hokies
since 1995 (as co-coordinator) and taking over sole
possession of that role in 1996.
• Has been a key component in helping the Hokies
register the nation’s longest active bowl streak recognized
by the NCAA, a 24-year stretch that began in 1993.
• Beginning when he was named co-defensive
coordinator in 1995, the Hokies began a stretch where
the club produced 13 seasons with 10 or more victories
during a 17-season span.
• Won the 2006 Broyles Award, given annually to the top
assistant coach in the country, and was a finalist on three
other occasions (1999, 2001, 2005).
• Named the Division I-A Defensive Coordinator of the
Year by American Football Coach magazine after helping
the Hokies to the 1999 national championship game on
the strength of a defense that led the nation in scoring
defense at 10.5 ppg.
• His defenses have led the nation in a major defensive
statistical category eight times and have placed in the top
five 40 different times.
• Virginia Tech has finished in the top five in scoring
defense on six different occasions under Foster, leading
the nation in both 1999 and 2006, while ranking second in
2001, 2004 and 2005. The Hokies registered six straight
top 10 finishes in scoring defense from 2004-09.
• The Hokies led the nation in total defense in both 2005
and 2006, while ranking second in 2001.
• His 2006 defense was arguably one of Virginia Tech’s
finest as the Hokies led the nation in scoring defense
(11.0 ppg), total defense (219.5 ypg) and pass defense
(128.2 ypg).
• Since Foster took over sole reins as Tech’s defensive
coordinator in 1996, the Hokies lead all FBS programs
in sacks (781.0), sack yardage (-5,377), interceptions
(360) and third-down percentage (31.4).
• Over that same span, only Alabama (16.4 ppg) and
Ohio State (16.5 ppg) have been better in scoring than
Virginia Tech (17.7).
• Since the start of the 1996 season the Hokies are
second among FBS squads in pass defense (188.4 ypg)
and takeaways (577), while ranking third in total defense
(305.0 ypg) and sixth in rushing defense (116.6 ypg).
• Thanks to his opportunistic defenses, Virginia Tech
owns an unbelievable +119 turnover differential (577
takes/458 gives) dating back to 1996, while 50 different
defensive players have scored a total of 78 touchdowns.
• Blacksburg has truly become a no-passing zone under
his direction. Since the start of the 1996 campaign, Tech
has permitted the lowest completion percentage (50.5)
of any FBS team, while owning the nation’s highest INT
percentage (4.5) and the third-best TD/INT differential
(0.77) over that span.
• During that same timeframe, only Florida (105.4) has
held opponents to a lower composite passer rating than
Virginia Tech (106.3).
• Going back to 1996 NFL Draft,
41 of his defensive
pupils have been drafted including nine players picked
in the first or second rounds. Six of those nine first or
second-round selections have been defensive backs,
including a pair of first rounders in CBs Kyle Fuller (D1-
14, Chicago) and DeAngelo Hall (D1-08, Atlanta).
• Coached three of the four Fuller brothers – Vinnie, Kyle
and Kendall – part of the only quartet of brothers in NFL
history to all be drafted and all attend the same college.
• Hall has gone on to earn three Pro Bowl berths during
his professional career, while fifth-round pick Kam
Chancellor has earned a Super Bowl ring, appeared
in two Super Bowls and been named to four Pro Bowl
squads with Seattle.
• Postseason honors have become synomyous with the
Hokies’ defense with at least one defensive player earning
All-America honors of some form in 18 different seasons.
• Under Foster, Virginia Tech produced its first Lombardi
Award winner and its first Nagurski Trophy winner in
Corey Moore.
• The Hokies have also two BIG EAST defensive players
of the year during Foster’s tenure – Moore, who earned
the honor in both 1998 and 1999, and Cornell Brown,
who won it in 1995. Brown would later earn a Super Bowl
ring with the Baltimore Ravens.
• Originally came to Tech as inside linebackers coach
in 1987 before serving as outside linebackers coach
from 1988-92. Added special teams duties to his
responsibilities in 1993 before becoming co-defensive
coordinator in 1995 and taking over sole responsibility for
those chores in 1996.
• Began his career as a graduate assistant at Murray
State in 1981-82 before assuming a full-time role with
the Racers from 1983-86 before making the move with
Beamer to Blacksburg in 1987.