University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics David Blackburn announced 2013 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee Jim Foster as the new women’s basketball head coach today. Foster has 35 years of experience as a collegiate head coach with a 783-307 (.718) overall record. He becomes the fifth head coach of the women’s program in UTC history.

Foster recently completed his 11th season at Ohio State in 2012-13. His experience also consists of stops at Vanderbilt and St. Joseph’s (Pa.) universities. The Abington, Pa., native has guided his teams to 27 postseason appearances (26 NCAA tournaments). He is just the second collegiate coach – men’s or women’s at any level – to win at least 200 games at three different schools.

“It was apparent from the beginning of this process that the strong tradition of excellence surrounding our women’s basketball program would attract a well-qualified candidate pool,” stated Blackburn. “I had no idea that we would be able to hire a Hall of Famer like Jim Foster.

“His career speaks for itself. He has achieved success at both the collegiate and international levels, while maintaining programs that graduate student-athletes and prepare them for productive and meaningful lives.”

Foster will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on June 8, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn.

“Chattanooga has always been one of our favorite places, going back to the early 90’s when the SEC Tournament was hosted in the city,” stated Foster. “I have always had a favorable impression of Chattanooga because of that and have been back often with my wife. (Former Head Coach Wes Moore) has done an absolutely terrific job of building a program that I have a lot of respect for. I am ready to get to work.”

At Ohio State, he helped the Buckeyes qualify for a school-record 10 consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2003-12 and rank in the national Top 10 in five of his last the last eight seasons. A four-time Big Ten coach of the year (2005-07, ’09), he led the Buckeyes to a record-setting six consecutive Big Ten regular season titles. Foster’s teams won four Big Ten tournaments and won at least 20 games in 10 of 11 seasons.

Foster mentored seven WNBA Draft picks and three All-Americans in Jantel Lavender (2009, ’10, ’11), Jessica Davenport (2005, ’06, ’07) and Samantha Prahalis (2012). In the process, the Buckeyes turned Value City Arena into one of the most intimidating venues for opposing teams with a remarkable 172-17 (.910) home record in 11 years. This included three undefeated seasons and four others with just one loss.

At Vanderbilt, Foster compiled a 256-99 mark in 11 seasons (1991-2002) with an impressive .721 winning percentage. That also included a 1993 Final Four appearance, four Elite Eight trips and three Sweet 16 finishes. During his tenure with the Commodores, 10 of his teams finished the season ranked in the Top 25.

Prior to Foster’s arrival, Vanderbilt had yet to win more than half its conference games, but he quickly reversed that trend. Under his leadership, the Commodores captured three SEC postseason tournaments (1993, ’95 and 2002) and made five trips (1993, ’94, ’95, 2001 and ’02) to the SEC tournament championship game.

Prior to his Vanderbilt appointment, Foster spent 13 years at St. Joseph’s (Pa.) University (1978-91). There he recorded a 248-126 (.663) record and seven postseason appearances (six NCAA and one AIAW – Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women). During a span of six years (1985-90), the Hawks captured 1985, 1989 and 1990 first-place finishes in the Atlantic 10 Conference, six 20-win seasons and competed in the NCAA tournament every year. In 1985, Foster garnered NCAA coach of the year honors. His team was 25-5 that season, won the Atlantic 10 Conference title and made the NCAA tournament.

Points, steals and rebounds have little to do with Foster’s most impressive record – the achievements of his players in the academic arena. At Ohio State, Foster’s 2002-03 team produced four OSU Scholar-Athletes and the number increased to six in 2003-04 and 2004-05. In each of his first two seasons, three Buckeyes were named to academic All-Big Ten squads. In 2004-05, that number increased to five league academic honorees and was counted off at four in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Student-athletes under Foster’s leadership have earned numerous academic honors. Among the accolades are GTE CoSIDA Academic All-America, district and honorable mention Academic All-America, the SEC’s prestigious Bud McWhorter Award and Vanderbilt’s Academic Athlete of the Year honors.

At Vanderbilt, Foster coached 54 SEC academic honor roll players. Notably in 1992, Vanderbilt set a conference record with nine players named to the SEC academic honor roll and in 1993 the entire starting lineup from the Final Four team was named to the conference honor roll. Foster also coached one academic All-American and two district All-Americans while at St. Joseph’s.

Foster has made his mark throughout the basketball community in roles other than coaching. Foster was selected to join the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee in September of 2003 for a four-year appointment.

In 1992, he became the first and only male to be elected president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, a group whose mission is to "promote women’s basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport of women’s basketball and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as an amateur sport for women and girls."

Foster’s contribution to the game of basketball can also be witnessed indirectly. More than 20 of Foster’s former players are now coaches at every level of the game. Additionally, a number of his former assistants are now guiding their own programs, including Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw, Kansas State’s Deb Patterson and St. Joseph’s Cindy Griffin.

Besides basketball, Foster also has experience at the administration level. From Nov. 21, 1995 to Aug. 1, 1996 Foster was Vanderbilt’s interim athletics director, during which time he oversaw 15 varsity sports and about 300 student-athletes. During his appointment, Vanderbilt went through the NCAA certification process and was ultimately granted certification in 1997.

Foster’s influence and efforts reached beyond the Vanderbilt athletics department. In 1996, Foster was honored by the Vanderbilt Opportunity Development Center with an Affirmative Action award for his efforts to help diversify the Vanderbilt community and to elevate the lives of others in Nashville.

Foster has a long-standing relationship with USA Basketball, the national governing body in the United States. He earned a gold medal at the helm of the 2003 USA Basketball World He was also named the 2003 USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year as selected by the USA Basketball Executive Committee.

Foster is currently the chair of the selection committee for the U19 National Team. The World Championship Team trials are set for May 16-19 in preparation for the FIBA U19 World Championships in Klaipeda and Panevėžys, Lithuania, on July 18-28. Foster is serving on his fourth selection committee for USA Basketball.

Prior to his appointment in the summer of 2003, Foster served as the head coach during the 1997 World University Games at Marsala, Sicily, Italy. The United States had not won gold in that particular event since 1991, but the Americans were undefeated (6-0) and averaged 93 points a game.

He also served as the head coach for both the USA Junior World Championship squad in 1993 and the Junior National Team in 1991. Foster was an assistant coach for gold-medal winning teams at the World Championship (1990), Goodwill Games (1990) and U.S. Olympic Festival (1987). He also was an assistant coach for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team that captured the bronze medal in Barcelona, Spain.

Besides coaching contributions, Foster served on two selection committees for USA Basketball. From 1989-92, Foster was on the USA Basketball Games Committee, which selected players and staff for various teams, including the 1990 World Championship team, the 1992 Olympic team and staff and players for all collegiate-level teams. He also served on the USA Basketball Player Selection Committee from 1993-96.