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2020 SESSION

20106569D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 233
Offered February 17, 2020
Commending Robert Eugene Foster, Jr.
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Patrons-- Hurst, Adams, D.M., Adams, L.R., Aird, Askew, Austin, Avoli, Ayala, Bagby, Bourne, Brewer, Bulova, Byron, Campbell, J.L., Campbell, R.R., Carr, Carroll Foy, Carter, Cole, J.G., Cole, M.L., Collins, Convirs-Fowler, Cox, Coyner, Davis, Delaney, Edmunds, Fariss, Fowler, Freitas, Gilbert, Gooditis, Guy, Guzman, Hayes, Head, Helmer, Heretick, Herring, Hodges, Hope, Hudson, Jenkins, Jones, Keam, Kilgore, Knight, Kory, Krizek, LaRock, Leftwich, Levine, Lindsey, Lopez, Marshall, McGuire, McNamara, McQuinn, Miyares, Morefield, Mugler, Mullin, Murphy, O'Quinn, Orrock, Plum, Poindexter, Price, Ransone, Rasoul, Reid, Robinson, Roem, Runion, Rush, Samirah, Scott, Sickles, Simon, Simonds, Subramanyam, Sullivan, Torian, Tran, Tyler, VanValkenburg, Walker, Wampler, Ward, Ware, Watts, Webert, Willett, Wilt, Wright and Wyatt
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WHEREAS, Robert Eugene Foster, Jr., acclaimed former associate head coach and defensive coordinator of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University football team, retired in 2019 after serving the university loyally for many years; and

WHEREAS, Robert Eugene “Bud” Foster, Jr., was born in Somerset, Kentucky, and grew up in Nokomis, Illinois; he graduated from Murray State University in 1981, where he played strong safety and linebacker from 1977 to 1980; and

WHEREAS, one of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s most respected coaches, Bud Foster served at Virginia Tech for 33 years of a 39-year career, making him the longest continually tenured assistant coach at one school in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision; and

WHEREAS, starting as the linebackers coach in 1987 and eventually taking over defensive signal calling in 1995, Bud Foster’s distinctive and innovative “Lunch Pail Defense” led all NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs during his tenure as defensive coordinator, with 856 sacks and 380 interceptions; and

WHEREAS, Bud Foster was an integral part of the Virginia Tech Hokies’ appearance in the national championship game in 1999 and the Virginia Tech Hokies’ 27-year streak of bowl game appearances, the longest active bowl streak recognized by the NCAA; over his career, his defenses have led a major defensive statistical category nine times and placed among the top five in a category 44 times; and

WHEREAS, after his squad led the nation in total defense in both 2005 and 2006, Bud Foster was the recipient of the 2006 Broyles Award, an annual award recognizing the best assistant coach in college football; and

WHEREAS, Bud Foster was named the Division I-A Defensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Coach magazine after the Virginia Tech Hokies made it to the 1999 national championship game and was named the American Football Coaches Association Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2000; and

WHEREAS, since 1996, Bud Foster has seen over 50 of his defensive charges drafted to the National Football League, including 11 players selected in the first or second round, many of whom have gone on to become notable players in their own right on football’s highest stage; and

WHEREAS, for over a generation, Bud Foster has been a mainstay of Virginia Tech football, creating a legacy that will be cherished for years to come by both the school’s fans and the student-athletes whose lives he touched in such a profound and positive way; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Robert Eugene Foster, Jr., beloved associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University football team, on the occasion of his retirement; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Robert Eugene Foster, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s utmost appreciation and heartfelt admiration for his contributions to the Town of Blacksburg and the Commonwealth.