January 26, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
It was a homecoming of sorts at DeKalb County High School Friday night as fellow class and teammates of Tiger basketball legend Jerry “Red” Foster returned to their alma mater in a show of support for him and to witness the retirement of his high school jersey number 32.
A large crowd including family, friends, and students turned out for the ceremony honoring Foster which took place between games as DCHS hosted Cannon County, a border rivalry which in itself always draws a host of basketball fans.
“I am honored. Its something that you never expect to happen but I am glad to see it happen. It was just great to see as many people turn out as they did tonight. A lot of my classmates were here and it was really great to see them show up. A lot of them came from a pretty good distance away,” said Foster who spoke with WJLE after the ceremony.
“I had a wonderful career. I played for three college coaches and two professional coaches, but my high school coach Harold Luna was probably the best coach I ever played for,” Foster added.
Foster, who is now battling cancer and is in treatment, remains optimistic.
“I’m doing pretty good. My immune system is a little low right now but I’ve got the chemotherapy and radiation over with and I will go back February 7 to have a (CAT) scan and consultation with my oncologist and find out where we go from here. I’ve got a got a good feeling. I think the Lord is going to take care of me,” said Foster.
Foster was joined at center court by Tiger teammates Danny Foutch, Kevin James, and Rick Usrey, who are themselves basketball stars, along with their old high school coach Harold Luna, who was overcome by emotion during the ceremony. The crowd gave Foster and his friends a rousing cheer, extended applause, and a standing ovation. A banner with his name and number will be hung in the gym to recognize #32 Jerry “Red” Foster as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Tiger jersey.
Foster excelled in basketball at an early age and went on to become a star athlete on the high school, college, and professional level. After his playing days, Foster was a high school basketball coach for several years. In recent years, he has been a physical education teacher at Northside Elementary School.
Jerry’s basketball career began at College Street Junior High School under the late Coach Elzie McBride and later at DCHS under former Coach Harold Luna. He starred as a member of the Tiger basketball team from 1972-76. During his time at DCHS, Foster was a part of over 80 wins. He was named All-District, All-Region, Upper Cumberland MVP, 1st team All-State, and was named the Class AA Player of the Year in 1976. He was selected to play in the East/ West All Star game that same year.
After leaving DCHS, Jerry went on to star at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee. As a member of the Bethel University basketball team from 1976-80, he scored 1,879 points and grabbed 1,440 rebounds earning 1st Team All Conference in both his junior and senior years as well as being named an NAIA All American after his senior year.
Jerry was then selected in the 4th round of the 1980 NBA draft by the New York Knicks and later signed a professional contract in the European League. After two professional seasons in South America, he decided to end his basketball career.
After his playing days, Foster stayed in the game of basketball through his love of coaching. He returned to DCHS, as freshman boys’ coach from 1983-89 compiling a 92-22 record. He then moved to Jackson County High School as head boys’ coach from 1989-93 compiling a 101-87 record in four seasons, before returning once again to DCHS to direct the Lady Tiger basketball program, a position he held for seven years, from 1993-2000 with his teams recording a 93-85 record.
After leaving the coaching ranks, he continued to teach physical education at Northside Elementary School and continues to teach the game of basketball to youth of DeKalb County through the after school program.