Jim Foster (American football)

Biography

Foster grew up in Iowa City, Iowa, and graduated from the University of Iowa in 1972 with a Bachelor of General Studies in advertising/marketing and broadcast journalism. While at Iowa, he worked on air for university radio stations WSUI and KICR, lettered in track and field and cross country running, and was a member and officer of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. From 1970 to 1972, he served as the paid executive director of the 22-house fraternity system at the university.

In 1974, he founded, played for, and served as club director of the Newton Nite Hawks minor league football team in the Northern States AAA Pro Football League (NSFL). After winning the league championship in 1975, Foster worked with sports promoter Bob Kapp to organize a five-game exhibition tour in June 1977 that introduced American professional football to Europe, with the Nite Hawks and the Chicago Lions playing in Paris, Lille, Frankfurt, Gratz, and Vienna.

In fall 1977, he took over the struggling NSFL Quad City Mohawks in Rock Island, Illinois, rebranding them as the Black Hawks and rebuilding the roster, leading to their first winning season in a decade and a berth in the 1978 NSFL Championship game. In June 1979, Foster conducted a second European pro football tour of five games, featuring the Black Hawks against the Indianapolis Capitols in Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Frankfurt (two games).

In fall 1979, he was hired by the NFL as promotion manager of NFL Properties. While watching the Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star game at Madison Square Garden on February 11, 1981, he invented arena football, sketching a diagram and basic rules on the back of a 9" × 12" manila envelope.

Personal life

Foster's younger son, Palmer, became a third-generation Iowa Hawkeye student-athlete, following his grandfather Derrold (Pat) Foster and his father Jim. Palmer played Hawkeye football from 2011 to 2013, earning a letter and honors as a student. After graduating from Iowa in 2014, he received a postgraduate academic-athletic scholarship to play and coach football with Durham University Saints in the UK, earning a master's degree.