NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 77 - Dave Foster, Auburn

Dave Foster was one of the first great athletes to come out of Auburn and it led him to a standout college career - in lacrosse.

Auburn opened in 1960 when Foster was a sophomore. The Knights, fielding a team of sophomores and juniors, understandably went 0-9.

In 1961, though, with Foster playing fullback and linebacker, Auburn shocked the local sports community by going 8-0-1. Unfortunately, a player was later ruled ineligible and the Knights had to forfeit all their games.

Auburn showed it wasn't a fluke Foster's senior year. He rushed for 720 yards on 93 attempts and played so well on defense that he was named to several all-state teams. Auburn went 7-2 and tied Aurora East and Elgin for the conference title. The Knights wouldn't win another conference football title until 2015.

Several Big Ten schools recruited Foster, but he decided to play at Yale in the Ivy League where there were no athletic scholarships. Foster focused on linebacker and worked his way into the starting lineup by his junior year. The Bulldogs were 13-13-1 during his three years on the varsity.

During his freshman year, to stay in shape, Foster tried out for the lacrosse team. He was a starter by his sophomore year. Yale went 11-2 and finished No. 3 in the nation Foster's junior year. His senior year, he was named honorable mention All-American and first team All-Ivy League.

After Yale, Foster went to Harvard University Graduate School of Business, served a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy and then had a long career in engineering management.

No. 77 - Dave Foster, Auburn
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1961	High School	Auburn	Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1962	High School	Auburn	First Team All-Big Eight	2
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			All-State	1
1963	College	Yale	Player on Division 1 Freshman	1.75
1964	College	Yale	Letter Winner on Division 1	3.5
			Winning Team	1
1965	College	Yale	Letter Winner on Division 1	3.5
			Starter	1
1966	College	Yale	Letter Winner on Division 1	3.5
			Starter	1
Total				22.25

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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