End of an era

By Brian Besch

The athletic director and head coach of some of Polk County’s most successful athletic programs has decided to retire.

After 29 years leading programs at Franklin and Big Sandy, and a total of 31 years in coaching, Kevin Foster has reached the end of his career.

“I still love the game and I love teaching the game,” Foster said. “I love the kids more than anything else and the relationships that you get to build with them. I love the butterflies and the tension before the big playoff games and the joy of winning those. But, the late nights and early mornings for 31 years of it just wears on you after a while. It is just time to step away and let someone else do it. I have enjoyed every minute of it. I went to school here, I played here, and it has been the honor of my life to come back here and coach at Big Sandy.”

Foster spent his first eight years at Franklin, where he was an assistant coach on the boys team for two years before taking on the girls team as head coach for six more. Franklin is also where he met his wife, Mandy, who will also leave Big Sandy at the end of the school year.

“I think you just know when you know,” Foster said of retirement. “I have talked to so many people who have gotten out and they have said you just kind of know when it is time. This is my time. I had no idea when I came here that I would have stayed 23 years, but it just kind of worked out that way. My two oldest kids have gone to school and graduated, and I’ve got another one that is a sophomore. It has been great. I got to be here with Mr. Foster when he got cancer and go through that journey with him. It was a tough time, obviously, but it was also a blessing to be able to be here and go through that with him.”

Dr. Thomas Foster, the coach said, was a legend at Big Sandy. He was at the school for 61 years as a teacher, principal, superintendent and coached the girls program in their only trip to the state tournament. Foster said it was likely a large influence on his choice to get into coaching, remembering coaching clinics and games with him.

Foster has many other memories over his time at Big Sandy.

“You don’t want to leave anyone out, but obviously, the teams that made it to state, because it is so hard to get there. Even as hard as it is to get there, it is so hard to win. Not just that, but obviously the playoff games you remember because they are so intense. The kids just pour everything they have got out. There’s the joy of winning those games and the heartbreak always when the season ends. I think for me, it’s just the memories you get to build with your players. When I see some of them who are fathers now and have grown up, we kind of joke about the memories. You get to laugh about it and there are so many of them that sometimes the players have to remind me.”

Over his 31 years, three teams have not made the playoffs. The feat is more impressive when considering the difficult qualifications for the postseason early in his career, when only the top two teams from each district advanced. One of those three teams tied for second and lost a play-in game, another would have gotten in by today’s standards with a third-place finish, and the final one lost multiple players due to grades and suspensions. It is safe to say a high standard was set at Big Sandy High School.

The coach holds a 712-271 career record, with three state tournament appearances and 20 district or co-district championships. Twice his teams were state runner-up, and once a state semifinalist. Other finishes include seven regional tournaments, three regional championships, a regional final, and three others at the regional semifinals.

“Coach Foster’s success goes beyond his 700-plus career wins,” Big Sandy superintendent Eric Carpenter said. “He has had a tremendous impact on students, athletes and staff at Big Sandy ISD. If you know Coach Foster, he will say that his success can be attributed to the work ethic of his players.”

Included in the impressive resume is the number of games Big Sandy played versus schools in much larger classifications. Many coaching peers have reached out already and congratulated Foster on his successful career.

“Coach Foster has meant a lot to our boys basketball program, athletic program, and most importantly, our school,” Big Sandy head girls basketball coach Ryan Alec said. “He’s leaving a rich legacy of footprints for coaches to follow in the future. Coach Foster has meant so much to me personally, from being my high school coach, mentor and my friend. His presence will certainly be missed on the sideline. He’s the best to ever do it.” 

Assistant coach Dalton Flowers will take over the boys basketball team as head coach. Foster said he is showing his age a bit as he mentions coaching against him when Flowers played high school basketball at Martin’s Mill. Foster describes him as a great person who cares about the students, will work hard, and do a fantastic job.

“I know 700 wins is a lot, but that just means I’m old,” the coach said laughing. “Being here 23 years, I think about all the success we had across the board in different sports. We had teams going to the cross-country state championship and had some team runners-up, we had the individual state champion twice. Our softball team made it to back-to-back state tournaments in the mid-2000s and we had a state runner-up and a state semifinalist. There were some other deep runs we’ve had in baseball with the regional finals and three trips to the state tournament and being state champions twice. Winning back-to-back is super special in baseball. The girls were so close last year in basketball to making it into the state tournament. I’m so proud of Coach Alec and the job he did last year. We had our first ever athlete make it to the state track meet when I first came back. Our kids at Big Sandy across different sports were so competitive and so good, and the support this community gives is second to none. It is really unbelievable the support our community gives athletics. Everybody tells me that they have never seen a place like we have and how well we travel. All of that is a testament to our kids, our community, and fans. It has been a lot of fun.”