Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 1 | August 2019

2 Inside Hokie Sports The NCAA’s longest-tenured football assistant coach plans to retire at the end of the 2019 season, as Bud Foster delivered the startling news at the football program’s Media Day held Aug. 1 at the Beamer- Lawson Indoor Practice Facility. The popular longtime Virginia Tech defensive coordinator, who is entering his 33rd season at Tech and his 23rd as the coordinator, first told the team at a 2:15 p.m. meeting and spoke briefly with the media shortly afterward. He said he spent most of the summer thinking about retiring and discussing the idea with some of his closest friends before coming to a final decision. “This is never an easy decision,” Foster said. “It was my decision. I can’t thank Justin [Fuente] enough for allowing me the opportunity to continue on and be a part of this program. I can’t thank Whit [Babcock] enough for his support and him allowing me to do this my way. I mean, in this business, you don’t get that opportunity very often. You don’t get a chance to go out on your terms. I’ve been very blessed to have this opportunity.” Foster also thanked former head coach Frank Beamer, who brought Foster with him to Blacksburg from Murray State when he took the head coaching job here at Virginia Tech in 1987. Beamer himself retired from Tech in 2015 after 29 seasons as the head coach. Foster coached the linebackers when he first arrived, but Beamer named Foster the co-defensive coordinator in 1995, with Foster and former assistant Rod Sharpless sharing the duties that season. After the season, Sharpless left to become the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Rutgers, and Foster was given sole reins of the defense—a responsibility he has held since. “I want to thank Coach Beamer for giving me an opportunity to do some really special things and giving me an opportunity to get a chance to experience a dream of a lifetime,” Foster said. “That’s what makes this thing really, really hard. It’s about the relationships you bond with, the players you meet, the people you meet, the fans—it’s just a special opportunity, and I can’t thank him enough for giving me that. “But it’s time for me to step down at the end of the season. I’m not sick. I’m not burned out … Nobody’s forcing me out. It’s just going to be time when it’s all said and done.” This season thus will cap a hall of fame career for Foster, who turned 60 on July 28. Consider his credentials: • His defenses have finished in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense on 13 occasions • His defenses have finished in the top 10 nationally in total defense 11 times Loyal legend FOSTER announces retirement at SEASON’S END • His defenses have finished in the top 10 nationally in rush defense on six occasions • Forty-five of his players have been drafted by NFL teams since 1996, including 11 in the first or second round. Perhaps of more importance to Tech fans, Foster remained in Blacksburg, bypassing several higher-paying opportunities over the years. He established roots in the community and enjoyed conversing with Tech faithful at Hokie Club functions and other engagements. His down-to-earth nature quickly made him a fan favorite. Babcock said that the athletics department will honor and celebrate Foster’s career and accomplishments during the season, declaring the Tech-Wake Forest game at Lane StadiumonNov. 9 as “Bud Foster Night.” “He is the definition of a leader, and I certainly want to celebrate that,” Babcock said. “His loyalty, his sense of place … he personifies this Hokie brand and even that tough, strong Hokie stone. He is the fabric of this place, he is the brand, he is the icon—and there aren’t enough words to thank him appropriately.” WHAT THE PLAYERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COACH FOSTER “My high school coach pulled me aside afterward [a Foster visit] and said, ‘That’s the most legendary coach that’s ever been in my office.’ It kind of opened my eyes a little bit, and I did my own research to find out who Bud Foster was. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to make that man proud.”—defensive tackle Jarrod Hewitt “He means so much to me. Just from recruiting, he came to see me, and he was the first to offer me and give me a chance. He always believed in me. He just means so much. I can’t even explain it. I just appreciate everything he’s done, just teaching me on the football field, but most importantly off the field—just the great role model that he is and the great man that he is.”—mike linebacker Rayshard Ashby “Coach Foster is like a father to me. He’s the reason I’m here. He’s the reason I made the best decision of my life. I really owe everything to him at this point. I appreciate everything he’s done for me. He’s taught me so much. It’s not about football. It’s about being a man, how to be a good person, how to be a leader, all that stuff. It’s hard on me because me and him had a really good relationship, but I’m happy for him at the same time.”—backer Dax Hollifield “Bud’s a very cool dude and coach, and I really appreciate how far he’s brought me. He’s just a great guy to be around, and I appreciate him.”—free safety Divine Deablo . “Just to get the chance to be under him and a part of his defense was legendary.”—free safety Tyree Rodgers