American gridiron football player (born 1942)
American football player
Irving Eugene Foster (March 20, 1942) is a former professional American football running back in the American Football League (AFL) for the San Diego Chargers . He also was a member of the Edmonton Eskimos and the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Arizona State University .
Early years
Born in Salem, New Jersey , Foster grew up in Pennsville Township, New Jersey and attended Pennsville Memorial High School .[ 1] Arizona State University , where he played halfback along with wingback Larry Todd.[ 2]
As a senior, he led the team with 311 rushing yards. He finished his college career with 741 rushing yards, 7 rushing touchdowns, 323 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He played in the North-South Shrine Game .
Professional career
Foster was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 10th round (78th pick overall) of the 1965 AFL Draft . He was also selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 15th round (201st overall) of the 1965 NFL draft . As a rookie, he was a reserve fullback behind Keith Lincoln .[ 3]
In 1966, he was named the starting fullback over Lincoln. In 1970, he appeared in 7 games (2 starts). He was waived on September 2, 1971.
On September 2, 1971, he was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Falcons . He was released on September 13.
On September 20, 1971, he joined the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League on a five-day tryout. In 1973, he missed most of the season after contracting pneumonia , which opened the door for Calvin Harrell to start at running back .
On June 4, 1974, he was traded to the Ottawa Rough Riders in exchange for defensive back Willie McKelton . On August 9, he was placed on the 12-day injury reserve list. He was released on September 10.
References
