DeShaun Foster

DeShaun Foster

Foster in 2006 with the Carolina Panthers.
UCLA Bruins
Position:	Associate head coach, Running backs coach
Personal information
Born:	(1980-01-10) January 10, 1980 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:	Tustin (Tustin, California)
College:	UCLA
NFL draft:	2002 / round: 2 / pick: 34
Career history
As a player:
Carolina Panthers (2002–2007) San Francisco 49ers (2008)
As a coach:
UCLA (2012–2014) Undergraduate assistant UCLA (2014–2015) Graduate assistant Texas Tech (2016) Running backs coach UCLA (2017–present) Running backs coach
As an administrator:
UCLA (2015–2016) Director of player development and high school relations
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 3,570 Rushing average: 3.9 Rushing touchdowns: 11 Receptions: 142 Receiving yards: 1,129 Receiving touchdowns: 5 Stats at Pro Football Reference

DeShaun Xavier Foster (born January 10, 1980) is a former American football running back who currently serves as the running backs coach at UCLA. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA. He is a member of the 2022 class of the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.

Early years

Foster was born to father Albert and mother Cheryl. He attended Tustin High School in Tustin, California, and lettered three times each in football and basketball, and four times in track. In football, as a senior, he was named the USA Today Player of the Year and finished his senior season with 3,998 rushing yards and a state single season record 59 touchdowns. For his career, he rushed for a total of 5,885 yards. As a senior, he led his team to the CIF championship game where they lost to Santa Margarita, and QB Carson Palmer.

College career

Foster played football at UCLA, where he set a team rushing record for true freshmen with 673 yards and 10 touchdowns on 126 carries in 11 games. The next year, he spent mostly on the bench with an ankle sprain, but still managed to record 375 yards and 6 scores on 111 carries. As a junior, he led the Bruins with 1,037 yards, while scoring 13 touchdowns. His final year, he posted 1,109 yards with 12 touchdowns; he had six games of over 100 rushing yards. He set a school record with a 301-yard game against Washington, and tied a record with four touchdowns (both records since broken by Maurice Jones-Drew). He ended his college career in the team top 10 in touchdowns, rushing yards, and points scored.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press	Wonderlic
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	4.49 s	1.65 s	2.68 s	4.16 s	6.82 s	35+1⁄2 in (0.90 m)	9 ft 11 in (3.02 m)	22 reps	27
All values from NFL Combine

Carolina Panthers

Foster was chosen in the second round (34th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He had a promising preseason, but was injured in a game against the New England Patriots, and sat out the remainder of the season on injured reserve. However, he returned the following season as a complement to Stephen Davis; whose bruising style matched well with Foster's speed. Foster finished the regular season with 113 carries for 429 yards. However, his best performances came in the 2003-04 playoffs. He had a memorable run in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he broke four tackles on a one-yard run to score, giving the Panthers a 14-3 lead. In Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Patriots, Foster scored on a 33-yard run that stands as the fifth-longest touchdown run in Super Bowl history. The following season looked promising for the Panthers, but many of the starters suffered season-ending injuries, and Foster was no exception. He broke his clavicle in a game against the Denver Broncos. He returned the following season (2005) and surpassed Davis as the Panthers' starter. He led the team in yardage and carries, helping the Panthers to an 11-5 record. In a 23-0 wild card victory over the New York Giants, Foster set franchise records for carries (27), yards (151) and average (5.59) in a playoff game, but suffered a broken ankle in a playoff game against the Chicago Bears that left him out for the remainder of the playoffs (though it preserved his franchise record 102.5 yards per game in a playoff season).

On, March 10, 2006, Foster agreed to a three-year, $14.5 million contract with a $4.5 million signing bonus with another $3 million in escalators and incentives. This was a $700,000 raise over the transition tag tender placed on Foster in February. He led the team in rushing attempts and yards the next two seasons, increasingly splitting time with DeAngelo Williams.

On February 21, 2008, he was released by the Panthers.

San Francisco 49ers

Foster carries the ball against the St. Louis Rams on November 16, 2008

On February 29, 2008, the San Francisco 49ers signed Foster to a one-year contract worth around $1.8 million, to be a back-up behind starter Frank Gore. He played in 16 games, amassing 234 rushing yards and 133 receiving yards.

Career statistics

				Rushing					Receiving
Season	Team	League		GP	Att	Yds	TD		Rec	Yds	TD
2003	Carolina	NFL		14	113	429	0		14	26	2
2004	Carolina	NFL		4	59	255	2		9	76	0
2005	Carolina	NFL		15	205	879	2		34	372	1
2006	Carolina	NFL		14	227	897	3		49	159	0
2007	Carolina	NFL		16	247	876	3		25	182	1
2008	San Francisco	NFL		16	76	234	1		16	133	1
Regular season totals				79	927	3,570	11		142	1,129	5

Coaching career

In 2012, he joined UCLA as a volunteer assistant, before becoming a graduate assistant the following year. In 2015, he became UCLA's Director of Player Development & High School Relations. In 2016, he left UCLA to serve as the running backs coach for Texas Tech under Kliff Kingsbury. On January 21, 2017, he was named running backs coach at UCLA.

External links

• Carolina Panthers bio