&sq=&lang=&file=File:Bill_Foster_(basketball,_born_1929).jpeg) Foster in 1971 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 19, 1929 Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 2016 (aged 86) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| ?–1954 | Elizabethtown |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1960–1963 | Bloomsburg State |
| 1963–1971 | Rutgers |
| 1971–1974 | Utah |
| 1974–1980 | Duke |
| 1980–1986 | South Carolina |
| 1986–1993 | Northwestern |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1993 | Northwestern (interim AD) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 467–409 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 ACC tournament (1978, 1980) ACC regular season (1979) | |
| Awards | |
| NABC Co-Coach of the Year (1978) ACC Coach of the Year (1978) | |
William Edwin Foster (August 19, 1929 – January 7, 2016) was the head men's basketball coach at Rutgers University, University of Utah, Duke University, University of South Carolina, and Northwestern University. He is best known for guiding Duke to the NCAA championship game in 1978, and that year he was named national Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Foster was inducted into the Rutgers Basketball Hall of Fame and was the first NCAA coach to guide four teams to 20-win seasons (Rutgers, Utah, Duke, and South Carolina). Foster was a graduate of Elizabethtown College.