Former Duke men's basketball coach Bill Foster—who led the Blue Devils to an appearance in the 1978 NCAA title game—died Thursday. He was 86.
Foster took over in Durham in 1974. During his time on the sidelines, Duke made three straight NCAA tournament appearances, including the title game trip in 1978 with a team that included center Mike Gminski, Jim Spanarkel and Gene Banks. Foster also had coaching stints at Rutgers, Utah, South Carolina and Northwestern, becoming the first coach in NCAA history to lead four different programs to 20-win seasons.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Coach Bill Foster, who was such a vital part of this program’s rich history. His Blue Devil teams from the late 1970s were among the best to ever play at Duke," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. "As accomplished as he was as a basketball coach, anyone who knew Bill would agree he had one of the uniquely exuberant personalities in the sport that he loved so much. His legacy will not only be the significant basketball contributions he made, but the millions of smiles he helped create along the way. We offer our sincerest sympathy to Bill’s family, friends and the many great student-athletes who came to Duke to play for such a terrific coach and person.”
Foster compiled a 113-64 record in six seasons in Durham, winning two ACC tournament titles and one regular-season crown. He was named National Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1978 following a 27-7 season that saw the Blue Devils take down a talented Notre Dame squad in the Final Four. Duke fell one game short of a national championship that year, falling in the title game to Kentucky.
That 1977-78 season paved the way for high expectations for Foster's Blue Devils, who opened the next campaign as the top-ranked team in the country. Duke finished 22-8, led by its three All-Americans—Spanarkel, Banks, and Gminski, who was named ACC Player of the Year.
In 1980, Foster's last season at Duke, the Blue Devils avenged their title game loss with a win at Rupp Arena against the Wildcats to advance to the Elite Eight.
Following his tenure in Durham, Foster moved to South Carolina, where he coached the Gamecocks from 1980-86. His next stop was Northwestern, where he paced the sidelines from 1986-93. He also served as the university's interim athletic director until January 1994.
When his coaching career was over, Foster stayed involved with basketball, serving as associate commissioner of the Southwest Conference and later as a consultant for the Western Athletic Conference and the Big 12.
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