After 903 wins, Foster retires as women’s coach

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Jim Foster believes this is the right time for him to step away from women’s basketball.

After a four-decade career, Foster, 69, is retiring with 903 wins and the distinction of being the only women’s basketball coach to earn NCAA Tournament bids with four schools — the last at Chattanooga.

Foster was coach at Ohio State from 2002 to ’13, going 279-82.

Foster, who ranks seventh among all NCAA women’s basketball coaches in wins, said he wanted to spend more time with his family, including his wife, Donna.

Foster said he came to his decision on a trip to New Zealand, where he appreciated the beauty Foster of his surroundings and noted how well the rest of Chattanooga’s staff was working in his absence. He believes he’s leaving Chattanooga’s program in a good place.

He also said the recent death of former Ohio and Western Carolina men’s coach Larry Hunter caught his attention. Hunter, who had 702 career wins, died Friday at the age of 68 after suffering a stroke earlier in the week. Hunter had just stepped down as Western Carolina’s coach in March.

“That sort of thing wakes you up,” Foster said Tuesday. “You have no control over what your future is. You can sit there and think about what you’re going to do or what you’d like to do.”

He earned his 900th career victory when Chattanooga won at Western Carolina this past season to tie former Texas coach Jody Conradt for seventh on the all-time list. Foster earned three more wins to end his career with a 903-347 mark in 40 seasons.

Foster began his head coaching career at Saint Joseph’s, where his assistants included Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma and Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw.

“I watched him take St. Joe’s and then Vanderbilt and then Ohio State and now Chattanooga to the NCAA Tournament and to elevate their programs,” Auriemma said in a statement. “I’m really proud to have been associated with Jim and I’m happy for him.”

Foster went 120-40 at Chattanooga the past five years and led the Mocs to four straight Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles from 2014-17. Foster also went 248-126 at Saint Joseph’s, and 256-99 at Vanderbilt. He reached a Final Four with Vanderbilt in 1993.