ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 5, 1996 TAG: 9609050074
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Bill Foster will announce today that he will retire at the conclusion of the 1996-97 season.
A school source confirmed Wednesday that Foster will make his impending retirement official today at an 11 a.m. news conference at Tech's Jamerson Athletic Center.
Foster's successor is not expected to be named today. As to whom will replace Foster, there has been speculation in the media and among Jamerson administrators that Tech athletic director Dave Braine will elevate longtime Foster associate and current Hokies assistant coach, Bobby Hussey, to the post.
Neither Braine nor Foster could be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Foster, 60, who will begin his sixth season at Tech in November, has helped restore the Hokies' program to national prominence since he was hired to replace Frankie Allen in 1991.
The Hokies finished 23-6 last season and earned the school's first NCAA Tournament bid since 1986. Tech lost 84-60 in the second round of the NCAA to eventual national champion Kentucky.
Tech finished the season ranked No.15 in The Associated Press poll, the program's highest ranking ever in the final poll.
In 1994-95, Tech capped a school-record 25-victory season by winning its second National Invitation Tournament championship.
Foster's overall record for his five seasons in Blacksburg is 86-62. The Hokies are 66-26 the past three seasons.
Foster's decision to retire after one more season comes as little surprise to those close to the program. Although he agreed to terms on a contract extention through 2000 last summer, Foster said privately he didn't expect to coach that long.
Another factor that weighed heavily in Foster's decision was his health. Foster has suffered from a nervous stomach disorder that grew so intense in 1994-95 that he was forced to leave the bench several times during games.
Foster's rebuilding job at Tech has capped a 29-year head-coaching career that included previous stops at Shorter College, UNC Charlotte, Clemson and Miami.
Foster's career coaching record is 517-309. The 517 victories rank Foster 13th among all active Division I coaches and 37th all-time.
Hussey, 54, was Foster's first Tech hire in 1991. Before spending two seasons as an assistant under Cliff Ellis at Clemson from 1989-91, Hussey was a head coach for 18 years, winning 287 games in 10 seasons at Belmont Abbey and Davidson College.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON/Staff. Bill Foster, who restored theby CNBVirginia Tech men's basketball program to the national spotlight, is
86-62 during his five seasons in Blacksburg, including a 66-26 mark
the past three seasons. color. Graphic: Chart by staff: Coaching
winnres. color.