DeShaun Foster

Last updated

DeShaun Foster
DeShaun Foster 2006-10-15.jpg
Foster in 2006 with the Carolina Panthers
Current position
Title Head coach
Team UCLA
Conference Big Ten
Record2–5
Biographical details
Born (1980-01-10) January 10, 1980 (age 44)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Playing career
1998–2001 UCLA
2002–2007 Carolina Panthers
2008 San Francisco 49ers
Position(s) Running back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2013 UCLA (SA)
2014–2015UCLA (GA)
2016 Texas Tech (RB)
2017–2023UCLA (RB)
2024–presentUCLA
Head coaching record
Overall2–5
Accomplishments and honors
Awards

DeShaun Xavier Foster (born January 10, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player who is the head football coach for the UCLA Bruins. He played professionally as a running back for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Foster played collegiately for UCLA, earning All-American honors in 2001. He is a member the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.

Contents

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 ankle sprain, 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.

National Football League

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		222 lb
(101 kg)		4.49 s1.65 s2.68 s4.16 s6.82 s35+1⁄2 in
(0.90 m)		9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		22 reps27
All values from NFL Combine [5]

Carolina Panthers

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 Deshaun Foster rushes at Rams at 49ers 11-16-08.JPG
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]

NFL statistics

  Rushing Receiving
SeasonTeamLeagueGPAttYdsTDRecYdsTD
2003 CarolinaNFL14113429014262
2004 CarolinaNFL45925529760
2005 CarolinaNFL152058792343721
2006 CarolinaNFL142278973491590
2007 CarolinaNFL162478763251821
2008 San FranciscoNFL16762341161331
Regular season totals799273,570111421,1295

Coaching career

UCLA (first stint)

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.

Texas Tech

In 2016, Foster was hired as the running backs coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders under head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

UCLA (second stint)

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.

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
UCLA Bruins (Big Ten Conference)(2024–present)
2024 UCLA 2–51–4
UCLA:2–51–4
Total:2–5

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References

  1. ↑ Reiss, Karlie (January 29, 2004). "Foster talks on Super expectations". The Orange County Register. Retrieved February 12, 2024– via Newslibrary.
  2. 1 2 "DeShaun Foster". UCLA. Archived from the original on October 16, 2002. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  3. ↑ Henderson, Martin (September 2, 2010). "Orange County: Tustin forever links 26 to DeShaun Foster". ESPN Los Angeles. Archived from the original on September 9, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  4. ↑ "The Sporting News Honors 14 C-USA Football Players". Conference USA. December 10, 2001. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  5. ↑ "DeShaun Foster Draft Profile". NFLDraftScout.com.
  6. ↑ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  7. ↑ Clayton, John (February 21, 2008). "Panthers' overhaul begins with release of Foster". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  8. ↑ ESPN - Dolphins sign guard Smiley to 5-year, $25M deal - NFL
  9. ↑ "Bruin Great DeShaun Foster Named UCLA Football Head Coach". UCLABruins.com. University of California, Los Angeles. February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  10. ↑ "New UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster's first contract is a bargain". Los Angeles Times. March 8, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
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