POE REP in and on the Field

With football season upon us, we wanted to take a moment to tell the amazing football story of one of our own.

In 1971 POE REP Jerry Foster graduated from Monahans, Texas. The city of 7,500 residents is home to the Monahans Green Loboes. Jerry excelled on the field and was recruited by every Southwest Conference team, except for Texas and Arkansas, as well as fifteen other smaller schools. Jerry chose to play for the University of Oklahoma–a decision that would impact the rest of his life.

Jerry entered OU in 1971 and graduated in 1976. Originally recruited to play defense, he suffered a knee injury in high school that required surgery, so the Sooners moved him to wishbone half-back. “You’d never know it now, looking at me,” Jerry jokes.  

“My class was the last freshman group not eligible for varsity,” said Jerry. During Jerry’s tenure on the varsity team, OU capped off their 1972 season with a trip to the Sugar Bowl and their 1975 season with a trip to the Orange Bowl. 

Many Sooner fans will remember that during the years 1973 and 1974, the team was on probation and banned from all bowl games. “I remember Coach Switzer explaining to us that we wouldn’t be allowed to play in bowl games for two years. Then Coach said, ‘But they didn’t say we couldn’t win.’” And win they did! The team went on to be named the 1974 & 1975 National Champions with undefeated seasons.

Famed football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Jerry proved that to be true. He pushed and fought hard daily, and had the battle scars to prove it. “I injured my big toe, my nose, and my jaw all during practice.”  

The coach who had the biggest impact on Jerry’s life noticed that effort and took time to bring it to everyone’s attention. “Defensive Coach Larry Lacewell said, ‘If we had 10 more players like Jerry Foster, we’d never lose a game,’” Jerry remembers. “Of course, I pointed out to him that we didn’t ever lose a game, but it still meant a lot that he said it. Coaches don’t always do that.”

As for those practice injuries, they were all a result of three teammates–the Selmon brothers, Lee Roy, Lucious, and Dewey. “The Selmon brothers were the nicest guys on the entire team. When I broke my nose during practice, they all three came up and apologized,” Jerry laughs, “I still don’t know which one of them actually did it.”

As the plays fade and the scores become harder to recollect, the memories of relationships remain.  Jerry loves to tell stories of his time at OU. During his last trip to Monahans for a class reunion, he was asked to speak to the high school football team.  The players loved seeing his National Championship watch and rings, as did students at Empire Public Schools recently. 

On September 3rd, Jerry celebrated his 16th anniversary of working with POE as a field REP. His work ethic, love of people, and story-telling prowess make him a favorite at each of the schools he covers.