Southern Pigskin: The Leading Name in Southern College Football Coverage

Pull Up a Chair: Bud Foster

By J.T. Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com Staff Writer

SouthernPigskin.com Staff Writer J.T. Bennett continues his "Pull Up a Chair" series with Virginia Tech Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster.

Bud Foster is in his 23rd season at Virginia Tech. Foster was the recipient of the Broyles award in 2006, which is the assistant coach of the year in all of college football. Foster has orchestrated many top of the line defenses during his time at Virginia Tech.

What is your favorite food?
Spaghetti and Meatballs.

What is your favorite movie?
Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Who is your favorite musician?
Aerosmith.

Who is your coaching mentor?
Frank Beamer.

What was your first job?
I worked for my father. He owned a hardware and furniture store.

Where is the toughest place to play in the ACC?
I would say Blacksburg. We have been pretty good on the road and not a lot of people have been good here. I would say that Blacksburg is the toughest place.

Who is the best defensive player in the ACC?
I am a little biased. (laughing) I think the best defender is Jason Worilds.

How do you replace a guy like Victor "Macho" Harris?
It is going to be tough. Victor was a great player and he played our boundary corner for us. We are moving Stephan Virgil to put him in his spot. That means Stephan will be the guy that kind of takes his spot. He has similar playmaking skills and we are hoping those will carry over into this year.

What do you think of the high preseason rankings?
To be honest with you we really don't pay a lot of attention to that. We really care more about where we finish instead of where we start. Obviously it is a compliment to our program. At the same time it's a preview. I would rather be ranked high at the end of the year instead of the beginning of the year.

What do you think about playing Alabama in the Kickoff Classic?
We are really excited about that opportunity. It is a tremendous challenge for us. I think it makes for a great off season for our kids when it comes to physical preparation and there attitude. Instead of playing a cupcake team to open up with these guys it will be a tremendous test to see exactly where we are in the upper echelon with college football. Obviously with Alabama's great tradition and the success they have had lately they are back to where they were.

If you could name a surprise team in the ACC who would that be?
I don't know if it would be a surprise team but I think North Carolina is going to be a really good football team.

Who has been the biggest challenge to defend in your career?
Donovan McNabb at Syracuse when we were in the Big East.

What is the significance of the lunch pail?
It symbolizes what we are all about. It's about you earn your success, it's about hard work, it's about hard hard work, it's about commitment, it's about accountability, it's about taking ownership. The characteristics it takes to be successful not only on the football field but everywhere in life. We put our mission statement in there, we put our goals in there. The player of the game carries the lunch pail. Its a symbol that you have to earn your success and nothing in life is given to you. You have got to work for it and there are no free rides and no shortcuts. The lunch pail symbolizes all of the things for you to be successful.

What is your key to having a competitive defense year end and year out?
Number one we have good football players. That's where it starts. And another thing I think that we have a staff that has been together a long time. There is some great continuity within our staff. We know each other very well and we know how the defense works. We know if there is something going on that is not right then we can make the adjustments. It is a combination of the continuity in our staff, the experience in our staff, obviously the players that we plug into the positions. You have to have stars there, you have to have kids that are good players and believe in what we are doing. I think the continuity of our staff has be a big part of the key to our success.

Is Virginia Tech a national championship contender?
You know I think if all of the pieces of the puzzle fall into place? yes. By a lot of standards people have our schedule as one of the toughest schedules in the country. I think it is a championship caliber schedule if you can get through it. I think there is a lot of things that fall into place. We played for a national championship years ago. But there are a lot of factors and variables that go into having that kind of year. I am one of those guys who is cautiously optimistic. I am not the best person to ask that question. I know that we have to take things one at a time and see what happens at the end of the year.

What is your most memorable game?
There have been several. I would have to say 1995 Sugar Bowl when we beat the University of Texas. That was kind of the first time that Virginia Tech really arrived on the national scene and we beat a Texas program is one of the premiere programs in all of college football. To beat them in the national spotlight in the Sugar Bowl at that time was probably the highlight of our career and one of the big games that turned our program around.

Who is the best recruiter in the ACC?
Jim Cavanaugh.

The ACC sent 10 teams to bowl games last year, do you think the ACC is underrated?
I think we have got a great conference. We have had some great years here in the ACC. I think the ACC is a good of a conference as any others the country. I think our non league schedule is tough. I think we have proven that in our track record. I think it is one of the great leagues in America.

Who has had the best film out of high school?
Michael Vick.

Do you support a college football playoff?
I like the current bowl system. i am a traditionalist right there. We are not in a situation right now to do a playoff system that I think that would be viable to major college football. When you start taking in academics, injuries, and when you factor in that it is not the NFL. I think the college football season is long enough. I still think the rich will still continue to get richer in those situations. I think the current system drums up the interest in the fans and the media. I am a big believer in the current bowl system.

.....

Share your thoughts on the SouthernPigskin.com Message Boards or email us at

Go back to Southern Pigskin

Comments

Nice interview.

Bud is a no frills, meat and potato, this is what you get kinda guy. he can get intense and truly believes this ...
“It symbolizes what we are all about. It’s about you earn your success, it’s about hard work, it’s about hard hard work, it’s about commitment, it’s about accountability, it’s about taking ownership ... Its a symbol that you have to earn your success and nothing in life is given to you. You have got to work for it and there are no free rides and no shortcuts.

I can almost hear him getting slightly worked up saying this.

Posted by redhot on 07/14 at 03:27 PM

Another good interview. Nice job!

Posted by Curggr on 07/14 at 03:39 PM

Good read. Foster is in an elite group of coaches and defensive minds in the game and it shows in his interview. Nice job guys.

Posted by lostdawg3 on 07/14 at 06:37 PM

Make Yourself Heard