Big Bill Foster
"Big Bill" or "Willie" Foster was a great lefty in the Negro Leagues, perhaps the best ever. He was the half-brother of Rube Foster, the pitcher who became the driving force behind the creation of the Negro Leagues. Foster's strength lay in his ability to throw a wide variety of pitches from the same motion.
Foster pitched for the Chicago American Giants, one of the Negro League's greatest teams in the late 20s and early 30s, as well as many other teams. Perhaps his greatest pitching performance came against a team of Major League stars in which he yieled no hits or runs in 8 innings, racking up nine strikeouts. In a poignant comment, Charlie Gehringer told Foster that "If I could paint you white, I could get $150,000 for you right now." Another person intimately familiar with major league pitchers, umpire Jocko Conlan, opined that "Foster was comparable to Herb Pennock, only faster and had beautiful control, adding that he was really something to watch."
In 1960, Foster became dean of men and the baseball coach at his alma mater, Alcorn State, where he coached until just before his death in 1978.
Foster was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
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