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Larry Foust
Laurence Michael Foust (June 24, 1928 – October 27, 1984) was an American basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers. In a twelve-year career, he was a two-time All-NBA Team member and an eight-time All-Star while reaching the NBA Finals five times. His eight All-Star selections (which occurred in his first nine years as a player) is the most in NBA history for an eligible player who has not been selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Foust was born on June 24, 1928, in Painesville, Ohio. He attended South Catholic High School (later St. John Neumann High School, now Saints Neumann Goretti High School) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was a record breaking scorer on the basketball team. He led the team to three Philadelphia Catholic League or City Championship basketball games, winning in 1944 and 1945 and losing in 1946 (Foust's senior year). Foust was 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) as a junior, and 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) as a senior, playing center on the team. Foust was instrumental in winning the City Championship in 1945 against public school archrival Southern High School, 37–36, by scoring a last second tap-in basket; playing before a crowd of over 12,000 people.
Foust was nationally recruited to play college basketball, and chose La Salle University (then La Salle College) in Philadelphia, where he played from 1946 to 1950. Over his four-year varsity basketball career at La Salle, as a 6ft 9 in center (with size 15.5 feet), Foust averaged 14.2 points per game. He averaged 16.7 points per game as a sophomore and 16.2 as a junior. While in college he went from 235 pounds (106.6 kg) to 275 pounds (124.7), but was still known for speed and agility, as well as fierce rebounding.
The Explorers led by Foust reached the National Invitational Tournament twice, in 1948 and 1950, with the former being the first postseason appearance in school history. One of Foust's teammates on the 1950 team was future National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jim Phelan. Foust was named to the All-City team four times while at La Salle, named to the All-East Team, and selected as an honorable mention All-American in 1949. He was named to the Associated Press's (AP) 1948-49 and 1949-50 All-Pennsylvania college basketball teams. In 1962, Foust was inducted into La Salle's Hall of Athletes.
Foust was selected by the Chicago Stags in the 1950 NBA draft, at a time when the team was in financial distress and on the verge of leaving the NBA. The Stags franchise folded before the start of the 1950–51 NBA season, and was originally to be replaced by a new Chicago team, the Bruins, headed by Harlem Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein. Saperstein had signed Foust, but never reached an agreement to have this new team actually join the NBA. Foust ultimately joined the Fort Wayne Pistons for the 1950-51 NBA season.
Foust played seven seasons at center for the Fort Wayne Pistons (1950-57), and was selected as an All-Star the first six seasons. As a rookie (1950-51), he averaged 13.5 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds per game. On November 22, 1950, Foust scored the winning basket in a 19–18 Pistons victory over the Minneapolis Lakers, the lowest scoring game in NBA history. In 1951-52, he averaged 15.9 points and an again team-high 13.3 rebounds per game (tied for second best in the NBA). He also tied future teammate Mel Hutchins for the league high in total rebounds with 880. In addition to being an All-Star, Foust was named second-team All-NBA in 1952. He averaged 15 points, 15 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a two-game playoff loss to the Rochester Royals.
In 1952-53, the Pistons had a winning record for the first time with Foust on the team (36–33), and won in the first round of the playoffs over the Royals, with Foust averaging 19.7 points per game. The Pistons lost to the eventual NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers in a five-game series for the Western Division title, Foust leading the Pistons with 18.4 points per game. During the regular season, Foust averaged 14.3 points and 11.5 rebounds (5th in the NBA) per game. In 1953-54, on a Pistons team that now included All-Stars Hutchins, Andy Phillip, Jack Molinas and future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame forward George Yardley, Foust averaged teams high of 15.1 points (8th in the NBA) and 13.4 rebounds (3rd in the NBA) per game. He scored 1,090 points to set a new franchise record for points in a season and with his prior season of 1,047 two seasons earlier, he became the first Piston with multiple 1,000 point seasons.
Along with being an All-Star game starter for the first time in 1954-55, Foust was named first-team All-NBA. During the regular season, Foust averaged a team-high 10 rebounds per game, to go along with 17 points per game. He led the NBA in field goal percentage with 48.7%, a career peak.
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Larry Foust
Laurence Michael Foust (June 24, 1928 – October 27, 1984) was an American basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers. In a twelve-year career, he was a two-time All-NBA Team member and an eight-time All-Star while reaching the NBA Finals five times. His eight All-Star selections (which occurred in his first nine years as a player) is the most in NBA history for an eligible player who has not been selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Foust was born on June 24, 1928, in Painesville, Ohio. He attended South Catholic High School (later St. John Neumann High School, now Saints Neumann Goretti High School) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was a record breaking scorer on the basketball team. He led the team to three Philadelphia Catholic League or City Championship basketball games, winning in 1944 and 1945 and losing in 1946 (Foust's senior year). Foust was 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) as a junior, and 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) as a senior, playing center on the team. Foust was instrumental in winning the City Championship in 1945 against public school archrival Southern High School, 37–36, by scoring a last second tap-in basket; playing before a crowd of over 12,000 people.
Foust was nationally recruited to play college basketball, and chose La Salle University (then La Salle College) in Philadelphia, where he played from 1946 to 1950. Over his four-year varsity basketball career at La Salle, as a 6ft 9 in center (with size 15.5 feet), Foust averaged 14.2 points per game. He averaged 16.7 points per game as a sophomore and 16.2 as a junior. While in college he went from 235 pounds (106.6 kg) to 275 pounds (124.7), but was still known for speed and agility, as well as fierce rebounding.
The Explorers led by Foust reached the National Invitational Tournament twice, in 1948 and 1950, with the former being the first postseason appearance in school history. One of Foust's teammates on the 1950 team was future National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jim Phelan. Foust was named to the All-City team four times while at La Salle, named to the All-East Team, and selected as an honorable mention All-American in 1949. He was named to the Associated Press's (AP) 1948-49 and 1949-50 All-Pennsylvania college basketball teams. In 1962, Foust was inducted into La Salle's Hall of Athletes.
Foust was selected by the Chicago Stags in the 1950 NBA draft, at a time when the team was in financial distress and on the verge of leaving the NBA. The Stags franchise folded before the start of the 1950–51 NBA season, and was originally to be replaced by a new Chicago team, the Bruins, headed by Harlem Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein. Saperstein had signed Foust, but never reached an agreement to have this new team actually join the NBA. Foust ultimately joined the Fort Wayne Pistons for the 1950-51 NBA season.
Foust played seven seasons at center for the Fort Wayne Pistons (1950-57), and was selected as an All-Star the first six seasons. As a rookie (1950-51), he averaged 13.5 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds per game. On November 22, 1950, Foust scored the winning basket in a 19–18 Pistons victory over the Minneapolis Lakers, the lowest scoring game in NBA history. In 1951-52, he averaged 15.9 points and an again team-high 13.3 rebounds per game (tied for second best in the NBA). He also tied future teammate Mel Hutchins for the league high in total rebounds with 880. In addition to being an All-Star, Foust was named second-team All-NBA in 1952. He averaged 15 points, 15 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a two-game playoff loss to the Rochester Royals.
In 1952-53, the Pistons had a winning record for the first time with Foust on the team (36–33), and won in the first round of the playoffs over the Royals, with Foust averaging 19.7 points per game. The Pistons lost to the eventual NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers in a five-game series for the Western Division title, Foust leading the Pistons with 18.4 points per game. During the regular season, Foust averaged 14.3 points and 11.5 rebounds (5th in the NBA) per game. In 1953-54, on a Pistons team that now included All-Stars Hutchins, Andy Phillip, Jack Molinas and future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame forward George Yardley, Foust averaged teams high of 15.1 points (8th in the NBA) and 13.4 rebounds (3rd in the NBA) per game. He scored 1,090 points to set a new franchise record for points in a season and with his prior season of 1,047 two seasons earlier, he became the first Piston with multiple 1,000 point seasons.
Along with being an All-Star game starter for the first time in 1954-55, Foust was named first-team All-NBA. During the regular season, Foust averaged a team-high 10 rebounds per game, to go along with 17 points per game. He led the NBA in field goal percentage with 48.7%, a career peak.