Fred Foster (basketball)

Fred J. Foster
Born	(1946-03-18) 18 March 1946 Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
Died	4 October 1985(1985-10-04) (aged 39) Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	1968–1977

Fred J. Foster (March 18, 1946 – October 4, 1985) was a professional basketball athlete from the United States.

Early life

Foster was raised in Springfield, Ohio and completed his high school education at Springfield South High School.

College career

Standing 6'5" and playing as a forward, Foster demonstrated remarkable growth during his tenure at Miami University. His scoring average surged from 3.4 points per game in his sophomore year to an impressive 21.3 points coupled with 10.1 rebounds as a junior, which earned him first-team All-Mid-American Conference recognition. In the 1967–68 season, his senior year, he was honored as the inaugural Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and established a longstanding school record by averaging 26.9 points per game. Additionally, he posted an average of 12.5 rebounds that season, placing him sixth all-time in Miami’s history. Foster ranks third in career scoring average at Miami with 18.8 points per game and holds seventh place in rebounds per game at 8.9, while shooting .484 from the field.

NBA career

In the 1968 NBA draft, Foster was selected in the third round by the Cincinnati Royals and was also chosen by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1968 American Basketball Association draft.

He made his NBA debut on October 19, 1968, contributing to a victory against the Detroit Pistons during his rookie season with the Royals, where he averaged 3.4 points per game.

Foster’s performance escalated notably in the 1969–70 season, achieving career-best averages of 14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while playing 28.1 minutes on average and shooting .449 from the field. He reached a personal scoring peak of 32 points twice that season—first against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 7, 1970, and later versus the San Diego Rockets on February 15.

During the following season (1970–71), after appearing in one game for Cincinnati, Foster was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Connie Dierking in exchange for Darrall Imhoff and a future draft selection. That year, he posted averages of 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

In the 1971–72 campaign, Foster became a reliable scorer for Philadelphia, averaging 11.9 points and grabbing 3.7 rebounds over approximately 23 minutes per contest. His season-high came on February 10 when he scored 30 points against the Golden State Warriors.

Prior to the start of the 1972–73 season, Foster experienced two trades on July 31: initially sent to the Portland Trail Blazers for a future draft pick and then immediately traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Terry Dischinger. While with Detroit, he averaged 8.7 points across 23.2 minutes each game.

After being released by Detroit on October 8, 1973, Foster signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers three weeks later as a free agent. He averaged 4.8 points during the 1973–74 season and improved to 6.9 points in the subsequent year.

Following an absence during the entire 1975–76 season, Foster returned to play for the Buffalo Braves in 1976–77, contributing an average of 3.9 points before concluding his NBA career.

Personal life

Foster passed away at age 39 in Springfield, Ohio, in 1985. His legacy was honored posthumously with induction into the Miami Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998 and later into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017; his sister accepted this accolade on behalf of their family.

NBA

Source

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Template:Nbay	Cincinnati	56		8.9	.383	.652	1.1	0.6			3.4
Template:Nbay	Cincinnati	74		28.1	.449	.724	4.2	1.4			14.8
Template:Nbay	Cincinnati	1		21.0	.375	.333	4.0	0.0			7.0
Template:Nbay	Philadelphia	66	6	13.5	.403	.699	2.2	0.9			5.5
Template:Nbay	Philadelphia	74	14	23.0	.415	.761	3.7	1.2			11.9
Template:Nbay	Detroit	63		23.2	.388	.701	2.9	1.5			8.7
Template:Nbay	Cleveland	58		11.2	.389	.844	1.9	1.1	0.3	0.1	4.8
Template:Nbay	Cleveland	73		15.6	.417	.711	1.5	1.4	0.3	0.0	6.9
Template:Nbay	Buffalo	59		11.7	.401	.682	1.3	0.8	0.3	0.0	3.9
Career totals		524	14	17.4	.414	.727	2.4	1.3	0.3	0.0	7.8

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1971	Philadelphia	5	9.8	.421	1.000	2.4	1.0	3.6