Jan. 8, 2016

The University of South Carolina is mourning the death of former men’s basketball coach Bill Foster. Foster passed away in Chicago on Thursday. He was 85.

Foster coached at South Carolina from 1980-86, replacing the legendary Frank McGuire. He went 92-79 in six seasons with the Gamecocks. His best campaign came in 1982-83 when Carolina posted a 22-9 record and won a pair of games in the NIT. The following season, South Carolina joined the Metro Conference.

Regarded as a builder of programs, Foster also coached at Rutgers, Utah, Duke and Northwestern. In 1978, he guided Duke to the NCAA championship game and was recognized as the national Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was the first NCAA coach to guide four different teams to 20-win seasons. He finished his career with a 467-406 record.

Foster later served as chairman of the board of the Basketball Hall of Fame from 1996-98.