UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster inducted into Tustin Football Hall of Fame

Former Tustin standout DeShaun Foster talks to the fans at halftime during his induction ceremony Friday night. (Photos: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).

Tustin High School inducted former Tillers’ running back DeShaun Foster, now the head football coach at UCLA, into its Football Hall of Fame Friday night during a halftime ceremony at the 2024 season opener against El Toro at Tustin.

Foster, a 1998 Tustin High graduate, lettered in football and basketball three times and in track four times. In his senior year, Foster rushed for 3,998 yards and scored 59 touchdowns, setting California records. He finished his Tustin career by amassing 5,885 yards rushing.

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He was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 1997 and in 1998, he was named the USA Today California Player of the Year. Foster was a UCLA running back in 1998 when UCLA last won the Pac 12 and went to the Rose Bowl. 

“I’m fired up for Tustin football season; they’re up 22-0 at halftime and I’m fired up for the UCLA season and playing in the Big 10,” said Foster at halftime.

“I was lucky to come to Tustin at the right time and play for a coach like Myron Miller. I don’t look at it like I’m going into the Hall of Fame, it’s like we’re all going into the Hall of Fame. It’s great to come here and see all the great things they’ve done to the school and the field. This is awesome.”  

Foster thanked his parents, coaches, fans and former teammates, many of whom attended Friday’s game. Miller addressed the crowd and officially inducted Foster into the Tustin Football Hall of Fame. Foster was then presented with a Hall of Fame jacket.

Tustin boys’ athletic director Ringo Bossenmeyer had high praise for Foster.

“We are honored to be able to honor a guy like DeShaun,” said Bossenmeyer. “We were ecstatic as soon as DeShaun got the UCLA head coaching job. He’s been total class the way he has represented Tustin High School. I want to give a lot of credit to our booster club for making this Hall of Fame ceremony happen. They’ve done an unbelievable job.”

Foster played for four years at UCLA and rushed for 3,194 yards (third on the school’s all-time rushing list) and scored 44 touchdowns (second all-time on the school’s all-time touchdowns scored list). Foster earned first-team All-Pac-10 selections in 2000 and 2001 and was named to the second-team All=-American in 2001.

Foster was chosen in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Despite suffering numerous injuries throughout his career, Foster played six years for Carolina and one year with the San Francisco 49ers. He rushed for a total of 3,570 yards and caught 142 passes for 1,129 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. Foster played in Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004/against the New England Patriots) and recorded a 33-yard touchdown run from scrimmage, the sixth longest in Super Bowl history.

Foster becomes the second member inducted into the Tustin Football Hall of Fame. Former coach Myron Miller was inducted in 2023.

“It was an honor to have coached DeShaun,” said Miller. “He was a star among stars. He’s a great talent and it he’s a humble guy. He always praised his teammates. We went from a 1-9 team when he was a freshman to playing in the CIF championship when he was a senior. DeShaun set an Orange County rushing single season rushing record in his senior year, a record that still stands (and the next closest player is 500 yards behind him). He scored 59 touchdowns in his senior year, and he never played in the fourth quarter. The best thing about DeShaun he is an all-around great individual.”

Foster and his wife, Charity, have four children, two boys and two girls. 

“DeShaun is the face of Tustin football; he put us on the map,” said Tustin High football coach Anthony Lopez. “He reached out to us as soon as he got the UCLA job. He’s been an inspiration to our players and our program.”

—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone