Foster was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. He played five seasons for the Panthers and one for the San Francisco 49ers. He became a coach, serving as an assistant coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and UCLA. The Bruins promoted him to head coach in 2024.
Early life
Foster was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although he and his family moved to Tustin, California when he was one year old, Foster continued to visit relatives in Charlotte regularly as a child.[1] He attended Tustin High School in Tustin, California, and lettered three times each in football and basketball, and four times in track. As a senior in 1997, he was named the USA Today California Player of the Year and finished the year rushing for 3,998 rushing yards and a state single-season record 59 touchdowns on a Tustin football team that finished runners-up in the state championship against a Santa Margarita Catholic High School team with quarterback Carson Palmer.[2][3] For his career, he rushed for a total of 5,885 yards.[2]
Playing career
College
Foster played football at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he set a team rushing record for true freshmen with 673 yards and 10 touchdowns on 126 carries in 11 games. The next year, he spent mostly on the bench with an anklesprain, but still managed to record 375 yards and 6 scores on 111 carries. As a junior, he led the Bruins with 1,037 yards, while scoring 13 touchdowns. In his final year in 2001, Foster posted 1,109 yards with 12 touchdowns; he had six games of over 100 rushing yards. He set a school record with a 301-yard game against Washington, and tied a record with four touchdowns (both records since broken by Maurice Jones-Drew). He was named a second-team All-American by The Sporting News.[4] He ended his college career in the team top 10 in touchdowns, rushing yards, and points scored.
Foster was chosen in the second round (34th overall) of the 2002 NFL draft.[6] He had a promising preseason, but was injured in a game against the New England Patriots, and sat out the remainder of the season on injured reserve. However, he returned the following season as a complement to Stephen Davis; whose bruising style matched well with Foster's speed. Foster finished the regular season with 113 carries for 429 yards. However, his best performances came in the 2003-04 playoffs. He had a memorable run in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he broke four tackles on a one-yard run to score, giving the Panthers a 14–3 lead. In Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Patriots, Foster scored on a 33-yard run that stands as the fifth-longest touchdown run in Super Bowl history. The following season looked promising for the Panthers, but many of the starters suffered season-ending injuries, and Foster was no exception. He broke his clavicle in a game against the Denver Broncos. He returned the following season (2005) and surpassed Davis as the Panthers' starter. He led the team in yardage and carries, helping the Panthers to an 11–5 record. In a 23–0 wild card victory over the New York Giants, Foster set franchise records for carries (27), yards (151) and average (5.59) in a playoff game, but suffered a broken ankle in a playoff game against the Chicago Bears that left him out for the remainder of the playoffs (though it preserved his franchise record 102.5 yards per game in a playoff season).
On, March 10, 2006, Foster agreed to a three-year, $14.5 million contract with a $4.5 million signing bonus with another $3 million in escalators and incentives. This was a $700,000 raise over the transition tag tender placed on Foster in February. He led the team in rushing attempts and yards the next two seasons, increasingly splitting time with DeAngelo Williams.
On February 21, 2008, he was released by the Panthers.[7]
San Francisco 49ers
Foster carries the ball against the St. Louis Rams on November 16, 2008
On February 29, 2008, the San Francisco 49ers signed Foster to a one-year contract worth around $1.8 million, to be a back-up behind starter Frank Gore.
He played in 16 games, amassing 234 rushing yards and 133 receiving yards.[8]
In 2012, Foster joined UCLA as a volunteer assistant under head coach Jim L. Mora. In 2013, he became a graduate assistant at UCLA. In 2015, he became the program's director of player development and high school relations.
On January 21, 2017, Foster returned to UCLA as their running backs coach under head coach Jim L. Mora. In 2018, Foster was retained under head coach Chip Kelly.
On February 12, 2024, Foster was hired as UCLA's head coach,[9] signing a five-year contract for $3 million in the first year with annual increases of $100,000.[10]
Personal life
Foster and his wife, Charity, have one daughter together.
